


One Word

by MageOfLight



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: LMAO, Multi, all tags (including the relationships) will be in the chapter notes, otherwise this tag section will get too freaking long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 50,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27816673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfLight/pseuds/MageOfLight
Summary: Just a bunch of (mostly) unrelated one-shots, each inspired by a single word.This is a writing challenge and one chapter will be posted each day of December.
Comments: 207
Kudos: 96





	1. Table of Contents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'mma be honest here. I found this list of prompts on Tumblr, from a writing prompt blog. The owner of the blog came up with a 4-week challenge that I didn't want to commit myself to completely, but the prompt list itself interested me. Thus, here we are. I shall link to the post in case others would like to participate in the actual challenge. :)
> 
> https://givethispromptatry.tumblr.com/post/635954712024317952/december-practice-month
> 
> Edit: Decided that since I'm actually doing really good on this (knock on wood) that I'd fill in the last three days of the month with prompts. So hey, there's now three new words.

00\. Table of Contents (here)  
01\. Warmth  
02\. Sunny  
03\. Hat  
04\. Acquaintance  
05\. Kindness  
06\. Favour  
07\. Timid  
08\. Chill  
09\. Clouds  
10\. Sweater  
11\. Friend  
12\. Content  
13\. Chance  
14\. Shy  
15\. Shiver  
16\. Overcast  
17\. Gloves  
18\. Close  
19\. Joy  
20\. Luck  
21\. Welcome  
22\. Freeze  
23\. Snow  
24\. Jacket  
25\. Family  
26\. Love  
27\. Fortune  
28\. Blossom  
29\. Dream  
30\. Seasons  
31\. Memory


	2. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: ~Arthur & Lewis (hints at (one-sided?) Arthur/Lewis if you squint) ~Lewis/Vivi, ~Arthur & Vivi  
> Tags: ~Set spanning over the course of the entire series up until The Future (and a little bit post as well). ~Ghost!Lewis doesn't know how to deal with shit in a productive manner. ~But then, I think we all knew that. ~Arthur loves his friends so heckin' much.

Ever since The Cave, Arthur rarely felt warm. He shivered at the slightest of breezes that disturbed the still, desert air and he should have been overheating in his three layers, but he wasn't. Vivi, for all her lost memory, blamed something supernatural and Arthur wondered sometimes, but he couldn't focus on that over his search for Lewis. Then they'd found that spooky old mansion and, for the first time since The Cave, Arthur felt warm. It made him nervous and he clutched his metal arm, wondering at the oddness of it all.  
  
He didn't have much time to think about it as multiple blob-shaped ghosts popped out of the woodworks and then he, Vivi, and Mystery were fleeing. Meeting the ghost that appeared to be the owner of the mansion left him with an intense warmth boiling through him even after they'd escaped the mansion. It was almost a relief when the van broke down in the middle of nowhere and he needed to step out into the cool night air to go fix it.  
  
The warmth slowly faded and Arthur let out a tiny sigh. It had been intense and it had felt good, but he was so used to being cold now... He just needed to focus on finding Lewis and then he could let Vivi puzzle out the issue.  


\----

"Lewis...?" Arthur couldn't help the shock that burned through him, leaving him unable to react as the ghost from the mansion, _Lewis_ dropped him over the ledge that led to Spikes of Death. Questions flew through his mind. Lewis was dead? And trying to kill him? Why? Why was his best friend wearing such an expression of hatred on his face? Arthur closed his eyes, unable to stand that look on his friend's face any longer, though it was already burned into his mind.  
  
When he fell into a pile of boxes instead of being impaled on spikes, Arthur found that he couldn't move. He was just so _hot_ that it left him dizzy. Probably a good thing, though, if the sound of buckshot peppering the steel wall above him was anything to go by.  
  
When he was finally able to move, his head throbbed with the heat and dizziness. Slowly, he sat up, holding his head until, with a small start, he noticed a grey, cracked, heart-shaped locket on the ground. It beat like something living, and unthinkingly, Arthur reached out with his prosthetic and picked it up. The pulse seemed to calm in his hand and he popped it open. Inside was a photo of Lewis and Vivi, but something was _wrong_ with it. He'd taken that photo of the two of them being dorks together, but it wasn't right. He squinted, and as he did, it seemed to change before his eyes. That was-!  
  
Before he could wrap his head around it, Lewis snatched the locket back, making Arthur jump and let out a startled yelp. But Lewis wasn't after him this time. The ghost had turned away, and after a moment, sunk to his knees with inky black tears rolling down his cheekbones. Arthur sat there for a moment, stunned before slowly climbing to his feet. "...Lewis...? Is that... real-... really you?" he asked slowly.  
  
The ghost, tears still falling freely, whipped around to glare at Arthur. "What do _you_ think?!" he snapped and Arthur felt his own eyes well with tears in a combination of relief, heartache, and regret. Relieved that he'd finally found Lewis, heartbroken that he was dead, and regret that he hadn't managed to find Lewis before he'd died. Was that why Lewis was so angry with him? Because he'd failed to find him fast enough? "What the hell are _you_ crying for? I figured you'd be happy to see what you did to me," Lewis snarled.  
  
"...what?" Arthur, even more stunned, stared at Lewis. "What do you mean?" he asked. Something in the back of his mind suggested that he probably didn't want to know the answer... but he needed to know regardless.  
  
"Oh, playing dumb now, are we?! You _murdered me!_ How _dare_ you even ask that?!" Arthur couldn't believe it. Lewis thought he would...? But that would mean... Lewis had died somewhere between them entering The Cave and Arthur waking up in the hospital, missing an arm and with a newfound fear of Mystery. What had _happened_ in The Cave?!  
  
"I-... Lewis, I wouldn't... You're my best friend... I _looked for you!_ Everywhere!" Arthur started. "I m-m-missed you so fucking much!" He paused, shaking his head. "Lewis... what happened? Please, tell me."  
  
Lewis was silent a moment, expression shifting to one of mild confusion as he snapped his anchor closed and replaced it on his chest. "You pushed me off that cliff. Grinned at me as I fell," he said. "Why did you do it, Arthur?! Tell me!"  
  
Arthur had... pushed Lewis? No, that couldn't be right. He loved his friends so much it hurt sometimes. When he'd helped Lewis and Vivi get together, he'd only wanted them to be happy. Why would he purposely take that away from them by murdering one of his best friends? But why would Lewis remember Arthur pushing him if he hadn't done it? Arthur groaned, holding his head with his prosthetic, his real hand clutching at the metal arm. His head was starting to throb again, pulsing to the same silent beat as Lewis' anchor. "...Arthur?" The blond cracked open an eye (when had he closed them?) to look up at Lewis, acknowledging his friend. "What happened to your arm?" Arthur shivered, hunching in on himself.  
  
"I... I d-d-don't know," he whispered, eyes clenching shut again. "I lost it w-when we lost _you_. I don't re-remember what happened..." It killed him a little inside that he couldn't give Lewis a proper explanation, but honestly, he barely even remembered up to the point where they split off. There was a vague impression of horror and _pain_ that often plagued his nightmares, and judging by his sudden fear of Vivi's dog, the little pup had something to do with the loss of his arm, but there was nothing solid. Thinking about it made his head hurt so bad it was almost impossible to keep his thoughts together.  
  
"...you really don't know." Lewis sounded so disappointed with that. Arthur could understand that. Now that he knew he'd, for some reason, murdered Lewis, he wanted to know, too. The sound of fighting outside broke Arthur's vague train of thought and he forced himself to open his eyes, noting the temperature had dropped significantly. Lewis radiated heat, a warmth that barely touched him now, and he shivered, getting a feeling that something bad was going to happen. Shakily, he climbed to his feet, Lewis automatically reaching out to brace him as he stumbled. Arthur shot him a thankful smile, steadying himself for a moment before making his way to the exit at the back of the truck, where apparently his Uncle had been laying in a dazed heap.  
  
Arthur managed to scoop him up in a fireman carry and jump out of the back of the truck in the nick of time. Just as they were escaping, something landed on the truck with enough force to cause a small explosion. If they'd still been inside... he shuddered at the thought, looking around as Lewis floated the rest of the way out, looking as dazed as Arthur felt. And that was _before_ a sudden mass of blue-ish flowering vines rushed passed. Arthur squeaked, jerking backwards and, if it weren't for Lewis grabbing him, he likely would have fallen on his ass, or worse, dropped his uncle.  
  
Once the vines moved away, Arthur noted that Vivi and a giant fox with many tails (Mystery. That was Mystery) were fighting the vines together. "Run, Arthur. Get Uncle Lance to safety," Lewis ordered, flames launching from his hands to burn up the vines nearest them and give Arthur a path to safety. The blond didn't need to be told twice and he bolted, finding a place far enough from the action to set his uncle down. The thing Vivi and the fox were fighting seemed entirely focused on them, even going so far to ignore Lewis as he ran support for her against the many vines.  


\----

By the time all the fighting was over and done with, including having to fight Mystery, Arthur was beyond exhausted. He hurt, his prosthetic arm was dangling uselessly at his side, and all he wanted at that moment was to sleep for a week. Mystery, Vivi, and even Lewis weren't in much better shape, and at some point, even Uncle Lance had joined the fight. He was busy tending to Vivi's wounds, hers being some of the worst. Arthur, on the other hand, was somehow only heavily bruised and exhausted, and so he turned to Lewis. "...Lew? I, uh... I know things aren't okay between us right now, but... do you wanna come in to rest? Maybe Mystery can shine some light on this... heh... _mystery_ for us once he's recovered?" he asked, gripping his metal arm nervously. Lewis sighed, a little puff of smoke escaping from where his mouth would have been had he had one.  
  
"Fine. I don't think I could go anywhere right now, anyway. You'd better not try anything while I'm resting, though." Lewis' voice was faint, barely audible even with how close the two of them were.  
  
Surprisingly, Lewis plucked his anchor from his chest, grabbed Arthur's good hand, planted the locket in it, then disappeared into it with a plume of pink fire and smoke. It was so warm in his hand and Arthur clutched the locket close as he stumbled over the ruined lot to Vivi's side. She was staring at Mystery, who was still huge but looking about as small as a horse-sized fox monster could... which was surprisingly small. The mannerisms from his dog form were all there, though only a couple of the tails fit between his legs. He looked miserable. Arthur found himself sympathizing with the beast, but he shook his head, crouching next to Vivi and his uncle. "We should... we should probably g-get inside..." he muttered, trying not to stare at Vivi's wounds. Her clothing was in tatters, cuts and claw marks that looked like they were just shy of needing stitches littering her exposed skin. Somehow, Mystery had retained enough restraint to avoid seriously hurting any of them despite being possessed.  
  
"That's a good idea, my boy. Come on, Vivi, up you get. Need to bandage those wounds," Uncle Lance stated, standing and offering Vivi a hand up. She took it, standing on wobbly legs.  
  
Arthur wrapped his good arm around her, bracing her and himself as they started walking towards the house. Notably, Mystery wasn't following, and so Arthur looked back, cocking a brow. "You-you coming? Or are you just g-gonna, uh, sulk outside all night in the- in the cold?" he asked. Mystery looked startled at the clear invitation, but slowly climbed to his paws, trembling and limping along after them.  
  
"...thank you, Arthur," Vivi whispered, smiling shakily up at him. Arthur smiled back, shaking his head. It wasn't a big deal. Sure, he was afraid of Mystery, especially like this... but Mystery was still a part of their team, and if he could get over Lewis throwing him off a cliff and almost killing him, he could get over... whatever Mystery had done to him in the cave. He'd get answers for himself and Lewis, maybe Lewis would forgive him one day, or maybe it would lead to Lewis actually killing him, but either way, he found himself fine with it.  
  
The locket pulsed warmly in his hand and he felt like, maybe, everything would be okay.


	3. Sunny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Arthur & Vivi, ~Arthur & Lewis, ~Arthur & Mystery, ~Arthur & Ghost!Lewis, ~Lewis/Vivi, ~Mystery & Vivi, Mystery & Lewis  
> Tags: ~Arthur loves his friends and his friends love him back. ~Mutual pining between Arthur and LewVi. ~Relationship study.

Being around Arthur Kingsmen was like basking in a warm sunbeam, except as a person. Vivi Yukino loved all her friends equally, but Arthur was something special. Sweet, kind, unflinchingly loyal, and braver than he'd ever admit. Even when his anxiety reached its highest peak and he was jumping at even the smallest shadows, he'd still do anything to protect his friends or help a stranger in need. He was something remarkably special, more rare and precious for how he was in a world that could be endlessly cruel.

\----

If you asked Lewis Pepper who his favourite person in the world was, he'd struggle for a moment before admitting that it was probably Arthur. Sure, he adored his family and his girlfriend, Vivi, but Lewis often felt like Arthur was his sun. If there was anything he felt he couldn't talk to anyone else about, Arthur was always the one he'd eventually wind up talking things out with, a quiet, supportive rock in a storm of emotions.  


\----

Mystery was always so astonished as he observed his (adopted) kits. Vivi was his, bound by blood and love, but Arthur and Lewis had also come to be his as well. Arthur always surprised and saddened Mystery with his love and selflessness. He was such a warm, loving person and the looks he shot Vivi and Lewis when he knew they weren't looking were filled with a warm, sunny love that he'd never admit to, not wanting to get in the way of Lewis and Vivi's budding relationship. Especially since Arthur was the one that set them up in the first place. He didn't see the loving looks his best friends gave him in return. The disguised kitsune wished with all his soul that he could out himself and just shove the trio together, but it wasn't his place.  


\----

Arthur Kingsmen loved his friends with everything in him. Strong, kind Lewis who hid a soft, marshmallow core. Warm, energetic, and bubbly Vivi. Even Vivi's beloved dog Mystery. They were everything to him. But still, seeing how much Lewis and Vivi loved each other, he pushed the two of them together and backed off, content to stay in the background and let them enjoy their new relationship without him getting in the way. All he wanted was his best friends to be happy, even if his heart ached over the fact that he couldn't join them.  


\----

The ghost who'd once been Lewis Pepper stared at the changed photo in his locket, black tears leaking from hollow eye sockets. He'd forgotten what Arthur Kingsmen truly was and having the man's hands on his anchor had brought the truth back. It may have appeared to be Arthur that had pushed him, but Lewis could now remember how wonderful a person Arthur was. There was no way the blond could have ever hurt him. Lewis felt a deep regret over having almost done the unthinkable to his (probably former) best friend. But then Arthur's flesh hand was on his shoulder and for the first time since he died (despite his fire-based powers), Lewis felt true warmth. That hand was like a beam of sunlight touching his shoulder and when he looked back, Arthur was smiling at him, just as warm and sunny as Lewis remembered but with tears in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lewis feels like an ass for a long time after his attempts to kill Arthur, even though Arthur whole-heartedly forgives him for it. Meanwhile, Arthur feels terrible over having been the cause of Lewis death, once Mystery reveals the truth of that night in The Cave though Lewis doesn't blame Arthur at all in the end.


	4. Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur & Lewis & Vivi & Mystery  
> Tags: ~Some nebulous time post 'The Future'. ~Lewis hangs out in his anchor a lot but still knows what's going on outside. ~He mostly lets Arthur hang onto his anchor because it gives Arthur a sense of security while doing scary things. ~Four Friends Doing Paranormal Investigations. ~One is a Ghost. ~One is a Kitsune

"Vivi." Arthur stared at the object in front of them, sitting innocently on a stand.  
  
"Yes, Arthur?" Vivi glanced at Arthur, laughter in her tone as the blond eyed the object of their investigation with something bordering on disgust.  
  
"That is a top hat. _Why_ did we come into a spooky old theatre at _night_ for a _top hat_ of all things?"  
  
**{"I have to agree with Arthur. What in the world, Vivi?"}** the ghostly sound of Lewis' voice trailed from Arthur's pocket and Arthur automatically reached in to fish out a slowly beating gold locket. A flash of fire and Lewis was standing there, eyeing the top hat in question with a raised eyebrow. "Nevermind. I think I understand," he then commented with a sigh and a shake of his head.  
  
"Ah, see?! Lewis gets it!" Vivi crowed, laughing as the top hat suddenly rocked on its stand. Arthur yelped and hid behind Lewis, who chuckled, reaching back to pat the blond's head soothingly. They all watched as the hat floated up, coming to rest shortly on the head of a man in a suit that was somehow fancier than Lewis'.  
  
"Welcome to the show, ladies and gentlemen!" the ghost suddenly announced, whipping the hat off his head and bowing to the theatre down below, seeming to not notice the Mystery Skulls crew behind him.  
  
"I'm afraid there's no show tonight, sir," Lewis said calmly. "As you can see, the theatre is empty." The ghostly magician blinked, eyes focusing on the chairs before slumping.  
  
"Oh, I see... No one ever comes to see me anymore..." the ghost sounded melancholy and Arthur found himself feeling bad for him.  
  
"Um... did you w-want an audience?" the mechanic asked quietly, surprising the rest of the crew. Even Mystery, who'd been quiet up to that point, letting his human and ghost charges talk, looked up at Arthur with shock.  
  
"Oh! I'd love that!" the ghost straightened, fixing Arthur with a bright smile.  
  
"Would you be able to move-, uh... move on if someone watched your show? I-... you've been- been scaring the th-theatre staff..." The ghost's smile fell at that revelation.  
  
"Oh. Oh no, I never wanted to scare anyone. I think... it's been such a long, long time since anyone watched my show. Do you really think you can get an audience?" the ghost asked.  
  
"Hmmm... Artie might not be able to, but I think I can! Give us a week!" Vivi chirped, grinning at her boys.  


\----

One week later, the Mystery Skulls crew sat in the front row seats in a packed theatre as a ghostly magician performed his final show. At the end of the hour-long performance, to the sound of resounding applause, the top hat dropped to the floor, its long time owner finally departed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lewis' voice sounds weird when he's talking from inside his anchor. That is all I have to say on that one instance of Lewis' speech being bolded. Other than that, ghosts all sound pretty normal unless they are intentionally _trying_ to be spoopy.


	5. Acquaintance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur & Vivi, Arthur & Lewis, Arthur & Mystery, Vivi & Lewis  
> Tags: ~10 years Pre-Canon. ~Possible AU. ~Babbu Artie is very, very smart. ~Arthur was probably homeschooled before being adopted by Lance. ~Vivi is excitable and is happy to make a new friend.

12-year-old Arthur Kingsmen shuffled his feet nervously as he stared at his new school. It was only his second day and even though Uncle Lance had offered to come with him again, Arthur hadn't wanted to be a burden after his uncle had been so kind to take him in on such short notice.  
  
"Arthur!" a cheery, energetic voice called, drawing him from his thoughts. He turned his head to take in the blue-haired, blue-eyed girl who's called out to him. She'd pretty much attached herself to him like a barnacle the day before, overwhelming him with her seemingly endless energy as she showed him around the school, taking him to each of his classes before racing off to her own if she had a different class. She didn't even care that he was two years younger than her but in the same grade.  
  
"Vi-vivi... uh, good morning..." Arthur said quietly as the girl caught up to him.  
  
"Good morning!" she chirped, fairly bouncing. "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school! I wanna introduce you to my best friends!"  
  
"Your- your best friends? They d-don't go here?" he asked, falling into pace with Vivi.  
  
"Oh, no. Lewis is a year younger than you and Mystery is a dog!" The girl grinned, leaning in close. "Hey, Arthur? Can you keep a secret?" she then asked quietly.  
  
"Uh... yeah? Of course, but... but are you s-sure you wanna, uh... wanna tell me? We're basically st-strangers..." Arthur replied, giving Vivi an odd look.  
  
"Don't be silly! Gran says I'm an excellent judge of character and I can tell you're a good person!" Vivi replied, grin now reminding Arthur of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. "Well, I'll tell you after school. We're gonna be late if we don't hurry!" At that moment, the warning bells rang and Arthur shot Vivi a panicked look before she grabbed his hand, pulling him along as they raced into the school.  


\----

Arthur sighed as the final bell rang, relieved to be released from class. He liked the challenge of being placed two years ahead, but some classes were harder than he'd expected. Not that he wasn't going to do his best to pass. He would just have to study harder. His teacher for this class didn't seem too impressed so far, but it was still only his second day. He would just work harder than ever to make sure he could keep up. Maybe Vivi could help with the parts he didn't understand? Somehow, despite barely knowing the older girl, he felt like he could rely on her.  
  
Speak of the devil... Vivi was at his desk, somehow already packed up and waiting for him to finish collecting his notes. "...hi, Vivi," Arthur greeted, aiming a tiny smile up at her before shoving his binder in his bag.  
  
"Hi! So, did you want to hang out?" the blunette returned, impish smile in place.  
  
"Uh... yeah, I guess so? I just n-need to call my uncle fir-first," Arthur said, standing up. His bag was so heavy, it was kind of a pain, but he supposed he'd have to get used to it.  
  
"Oh, yeah, of course! I'll wait for you outside the school, okay? My mom's gonna pick me up, and I already asked her if I could invite you over," Vivi replied, then she was off in a flurry of blue, hardly waiting for Arthur's nod.  


\----

Uncle Lance was, of course, a little wary over letting Arthur go off with people he barely knew, but when he said Vivi's full name, his uncle seemed to relax a little. Tempo was a small town, barely big enough to have two small schools, so he guessed Uncle Lance knew the Yukino family, and so he gave Arthur permission, though only for a couple of hours. He wanted Arthur home for supper, which the younger blond could completely understand. He wanted to spend more time getting to know his uncle, too.  
  
As promised, Vivi was outside the school doors, waiting. Next to her was a blonde-haired woman who radiated the same excitable, yet friendly energy as Vivi. With the two of them was a smallish white and red dog, who's lead was in Vivi's hands. The dog, whom Arthur assumed must be Mystery was panting lightly in the still-hot late August air. "Um... hi..." Arthur greeted, waving shyly.  
  
"Oh, you must be Arthur! Vivi said she wanted to invite you over," the blonde woman said, smiling. Arthur nodded.  
  
"Y-yeah... Uncle Lance said it was okay, but he, um.... he w-wants me home for supper..." he replied.  
  
"Oh! You're Lance's nephew? I do see the family resemblance, now that you mention it." She paused to laugh, the sound enough to help Arthur relax a little. "Of course, we'll have you home on time. What time do you eat, sweetheart?"  
  
"S-six-thirty... is... is that okay?" Arthur replied, hunching a little. It was a few hours off yet, but he didn't want to be a burden on his friend's parents.  
  
"Of course, of course! Well then, kids, we still need to pick up Lewis from his school," Mrs. Yukino said, turning to lead the kids to the parking lot. The two kids trailed behind a little, Arthur falling into step beside Vivi, Mystery in between the two of them so that Arthur could pet the dog while they walked.  
  
"Your... your mom seems really n-nice..." the boy said quietly, fingers gently scritching behind Mystery's ear.  
  
"She's the best!" Vivi replied, just as quiet, but still chipper.  


\----

The elementary school was absolutely tiny, looking like it had maybe three or four rooms to the building. The biggest part of the school was actually the yard, consisting of a fake grass field and a playground. A boy who was only a little bigger than Arthur was sitting on the swings, swaying idly back and forth until he noticed the Yukino family's sky blue car. The boy grinned, sprung out of his swing, grabbed his school bag and rushed over, swiping his fluffy purple hair out of his eyes as he did so. "Hey, Vi!" the boy greeted as he opened the back door, only to stop and stare at the other boy in the car, seated by the window.  
  
"Hey, Lew! This is Arthur! He's new at my school, so I invited him over to play today. Arthur, this is Lewis," Vivi said with a grin.  
  
"Oh! Nice to meet you, Arthur," Lewis said, grinning again as he climbed into the car.  
  
"...n-nice to meet you, t-t-too..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...guys... I'm Canadian. I had to do research into how the American school system worked for this one-shot, and I don't even think I got things right. Oh well. It's fanfic. It can be wrong, whatever. lmao
> 
> The secret Vivi shares with Arthur is that her dog can talk. Arthur about falls over when Mystery just sighs and shakes his head, exasperated with his young mistress' antics. Lewis, of course, already knows this.


	6. Kindness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur/Vivi, Lewvithur, Vivi & Mystery, Arthur & Mystery  
> Tags: ~Beauty and the Beast AU. ~Lewis as The Beast. ~Arthur & Vivi are both Beauty. ~Don't @ me. ~The Deadbeats are Lewis' palace staff. ~Lew's curse is a nasty one and wasn't even his fault. ~Beautiful Enchantresses are Evil. ~Cute little witches are Good, though. ~Beast!Lewis looks like Ghost!Lewis.
> 
> I've been looking forward to posting this one since the plot bunny smacked me hard in the brain. Haha.

It had been so long since the Beast had had humans in his castle that didn't treat him like a monster. He sighed, fire flickering around his skull as he observed his ~~prisoners~~ _guests_ talk with each other. The man, Arthur, was grinning nervously at the always sad Deadbeat that seemed to have taken a liking to him. The lady, Vivian ("You can call me Vivi!") was chattering happily at Arthur and the Deadbeat, who seemed to be enjoying the attention if the tiny smile on it's normally morose face was anything to go by. The Beast turned away and headed down to the kitchen, deciding that he'd prepare a meal for his guests.  


\----

The Beast sighed, staring at the fire contained inside the glass heart that sat in his study. His guests had been properly living in the castle for over a year now and he didn't understand why they returned or why they'd started basing all their activities out of his home. He'd let the pair go after only two months of them being confined to the castle, but they'd, after disappearing for a week, come back in a carriage. Arthur had made a room in the east wing his own and when the Beast had come to drop off some food for the young man, he'd heard odd noises from inside. Lady Vivian, when she discovered him hovering uncertainly outside the room, had assured him that everything was fine and that this was perfectly normal for Arthur. The young man was an inventor, she told him, always tinkering away with some odd contraption or another. Some of them were even useful, she'd exclaimed, loud enough that the tinkering stopped and Arthur came out, a ~~n adorable~~ pout on his face as he scolded Lady Vivian for being mean.  
  
The Beast couldn't help chuckling fondly at the errant memory before focusing back on the flame inside the heart. It seemed dimmer than it had been even yesterday. Soon, his time would be up... and yet, he didn't feel as sad about it as he once had. His home was filled with life now, Lady Vivian's bright laughter and brilliant smile could light up even the dullest of rooms while Arthur's quiet, kind nature left him feeling warm inside. Together, the pair had brought spring to the cold winter of his life. He was happy for the first time in such a long time.  


\----

"Vivian!" Vivi paused, glancing over her shoulder at the hissed whisper. Only two creatures called her by her full given name, and that wasn't the voice of the owner of the castle.  
  
"Hello, Mystery," she whispered back to her familiar, then turned to return to her rooms.  
  
Once secure in the confines of the space the Beast had promised was all her own, Vivi sat on the bed and levelled a serious look at the fox spirit. "What have you figured out?" she asked. The fox, now half his full size, many tails swaying slowly behind him, sat primly in front of Vivi.  
  
"This place is heavily cursed, right along with the master and servants. I know not the source of the curse, but I can tell you it is very deadly. Your skeletal friend is dying. So are his servants." Mystery sighed. "Vivian, I highly suspect you and Arthur may find answers in the west wing, as I could get nowhere near entering. It is heavily warded against any magical beings, though... I suspect because the Beast is afraid of any possible magical tampering..."  
  
"So... you're saying we need to send Arthur. Alone. Into the lair of the Beast." Vivi paused. "The place we're forbidden from entering."  
  
"...yes? If you and Arthur want answers, anyway," Mystery sighed, tails curling around his feet. "I don't like it any more than you do, my lady, but..."  
  
"Yeah, but indeed." Vivi let out a heavy gust of a sigh, flopping back into the down-filled quilt. "Fine. How long do you think we have before the point of no return?" Silence. Vivi sat up again, looking at Mystery who was, most definitely, cringing heavily. "...Stree?"  
  
"Not long, Vivian. Not long at all. I'd say somewhere between three days and a week. Two if we are very, very lucky. But the tension feels like it's about to snap, and when it does... the Beast and the Deadbeats will all..." Vivi didn't need to hear more. She reached out to pat Mystery's head, soothing the fox even as she sighed heavily, thinking. If only she'd sent Mystery to investigate sooner...  


\----

Arthur was nervous. This plan of Vivi's had been cooked up overnight, leaving them little time to really think about what they were doing. Still, he wanted to get to the bottom of this all, too. As a witch, Vivi couldn't even step foot near the west wing, and Mystery, as her familiar, had no luck either. So that left him, the only non-magical one, to check out the spooky, dark west wing on his own while Vivi ran distraction, keeping the Beast and the Deadbeats far away from the Beast's sanctuary.  
  
The inventor felt so very wrong, doing this, but they had to know. At the edge of where Mystery could go, Arthur turned to look at the fox, shooting the creature a strained smile. "W-w-w-wish me luck..." he whispered. Mystery inclined his elegant head, face serious as ever.  
  
"You don't need luck, Arthur. Stay safe," the fox replied, reaching out with one massive, yet delicate paw to pat Arthur on the shoulder. "I shall wait here in a more... discrete form for your safe return." Arthur nodded, already turning away. He hated watching Mystery shift forms and so he wouldn't look. Swallowing heavily and clutching at his left arm to try and contain his nerves, Arthur stepped foot in the forbidden wing for the first time. Guilt at this betrayal of trust weighed heavy upon his shoulders like an unwanted cloak, but he kept walking. For Vivi. For the man he'd come to love, who, despite his horrifying appearance, had been nothing but kind to them, even when they'd technically been his prisoners.  
  
He and Vivi had spent long hours talking about the Beast and their own relationship. It wasn't something most folks did. They loved each other dearly, but they'd also come to realize that the Beast had also earned a place in their hearts. Perhaps he wouldn't return their affections... but he needed to be alive to have the chance to. And so, Arthur would risk everything in an attempt to save him.  
  
The west wing was huge, but the Beast left a clear trail through the dim, dusty space that Arthur could use to guide him, and he eventually came to a room that may have once been a bedroom. It was a disaster, looking like a terrible storm had blown through. One with fire, judging by all the burnt remains of items scattered and broken around the space. Stunned as he was by the blatant destruction, it took him a while to notice the glass heart floating above a pedestal. Inside was a weak, flickering flame. It was pink like the Beast's fires but also cast a warm, golden glow on the glass that made up the heart-shaped container. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that the heart was tied to the Beast's curse... but how? Vivi might be able to figure it out if she was given the opportunity to examine it... but she couldn't come here and he wasn't going to just... steal it. Bad enough that he was here in the first place.  
  
"Oh, man... what do I even do?" Arthur whispered, walking up to examine the heart more closely. The fire inside flickered, seeming to gain a little more strength, but Arthur didn't notice. "What do you think, little glass heart? Do you have any ideas?" he paused, sighing. "All I want is to save him, but I don't know how..." It almost seemed like the right thing to say, as suddenly, the glass heart flashed brighter for a moment before a sweet voice filled the room.  
  
**_"You wish to save that monster?"_**  
  
Arthur blinked, looking around, but then nodded. "He's not a monster! But yeah, I do want to save him."  
  
**_"You must know, whatever you do, you're only stalling for time."_**  
  
"Time is something we don't have right now. Even if it's just... making sure he lives longer so that we can figure out how to break his curse... well, I'm willing," Arthur replied, sighing. Delighted yet mocking laughter filled the room.  
  
**_"Humans are such wonderfully stupid creatures. Very well then, if you're so resolute in your will to save him, touch his burning heart."_**  
  
Humans. Of course, the owner of the voice was something Other. Vivi and Mystery had suggested that it had to have been one of the fae that had laid this curse, but he hadn't been sure. Now, though... Arthur shook his head, stepping closer to the heart. She'd called it... _his_ burning heart. Did that mean that this was the Beast's actual heart, torn from him and cursed?  
  
**_"Well? What are you waiting for? I haven't got all day, little boy."_** Her voice sounded impatient now. **_"I can always just take what I came here for."_** The heart. She was after the heart. Arthur's eyes widened. He had to protect ~~his~~ the Beast's heart. Without thinking any further on it, the inventor gently scooped the glass object out of the air, fingers curling protectively about it. The woman's voice hissed in anger and Arthur knew he'd done the right thing, even as his vision warped and twisted. The last thing he could remember was falling, thinking that he needed to protect the heart.  


\----

The Beast laughed gently at Lady Vivian's antics, relaxing in the garden with the lady and his Deadbeats. He was so glad he'd let her talk him into coming out here for some fresh air. She'd constructed a shelter for him to keep him from prying eyes and everything. It felt nice to be outside and he hoped Arthur would join them soon, as Lady Vivian had said he would. Being with the people he'd fallen in love with, outside under the sky when his curse finally finished absorbing his life would be wonderful.  
  
But then his world pitched sideways. Warmth, kindness, love, **_P.R.O.T.E.C.T.I.O.N_**. Gentle, sure hands holding **_him_** , willing to give anything and everything to keep him safe. "My... my heart..." the Beast gasped, struggling to stand without falling over in a heap. Lady Vivian came to his side, wordlessly offering her support. He had no choice but to take it. He had to-  
  
"Beast, what's going on?" Lady Vivian asked, concern in her voice.  
  
"I... I'm not sure. I need to get to the west wing, though," the Beast replied, cursing his weakness. Lady Vivian just nodded, a frown on her face.  
  
The walk even to get inside was too slow and Vivi started cursing up a blue streak under her breath before stopping. "Beast, I need to tell you something real quick. You can be angry at me later if you wish, but..." she looked up at him with a contrite look on her face. "I'm a witch. I sent Arthur to the west wing to see if he could find the source of your curse and perhaps even save your life," she admitted. The Beast stared at her in mute shock before realization of where that warm feeling was coming from. Arthur had his heart. "Mystery!" Her sudden call startled the Beast out of his horrified thoughts and he stared in shock as a _massive_ white and red fox appeared out of nowhere and laid down in front of them. "This is my familiar, Mystery. Stree, we need to get to the west wing, fast."  
  
"Yes. Arthur is in danger," Mystery replied, opening his maw and simply scooping the Beast up as if he were a kitten. The Beast soon found himself planted on the fox's back, Lady Vivian seated behind him. "Hold on tight. We're taking the fast route." The Beast, with nothing to do but obey, leaned forward and clung to shockingly plush fur with both massive hands while Lady Vivian wrapped her arms around him, a warm weight at his back. If he was hurting Mystery, the fox said nothing, leaping up into the air. "Beast, you shall have to let us in. I cannot get near to the tower."  
  
"Ah, yes, of course. You and Lady Vivian may enter," the Beast replied distractedly. He was tingling all over, like the faintly remembered sensation of pins and needles from... a long time ago... but the sensation wasn't prickly like he remembered. It was just warm. It felt like life.  
  
Mystery headed straight for a familiar room, landing lightly on the balcony. There. Yellow where there shouldn't be yellow. But Arthur was on the floor, curled up into a tiny ball. "Arthur!" Lady Vivian cried, letting go of the Beast and sliding from Mystery's back. The Beast likewise slid down, stumbling towards where Lady Vivian had fallen to her knees next to Arthur. "By the goddess, he's so cold... Mystery, get over here! I need you!" Lady Vivian ordered, tears obvious in her voice. In response, Mystery picked the Beast up again and was at the side of the two humans in a split second. He put the Beast down next to Arthur, then shrunk to a more reasonable size and curled around Lady Vivian and Arthur. Arthur, who was clutching a glass heart, full to bursting with pink flames and golden lightning.  
  
"...oh no..." the Beast whispered, sinking to his knees next to the blond man. Arthur wasn't breathing. His skin was ashen and Lady Vivian was right. When the Beast touched his cheek, Arthur was ice cold. Magic filled the air, but it wasn't dark like the last time he'd felt magic like that. This magic was filled with Lady Vivian's light. She was chanting something, the fox next to her fairly glowing as he added his own magic to the mix, and suddenly, Arthur took a sharp, gasping breath before breaking out into a coughing fit that made even the Beast cringe.  
  
"Breathe, Artie. Come on, slowly now. In and out. There you go..." Lady Vivian guided Arthur through slow breathing, and eventually, the man uncurled a little, relaxing as she rubbed his back. His breathing sounded so weak...  
  
But then Arthur's attention shifted, near lifeless eyes coming to land on the Beast. "T-there was... was a fae... tried to steal this... protected... sorry for- for touching..." his voice was so weak as he held the glass heart out for the Beast to take. Arthur had... had given his life for the Beast's...? Was he even aware of what would happen if he touched the heart?  
  
Mystery let out a low keen, nosing Arthur's shoulder. Arthur barely reacted, focus locked on the Beast, eyes dimming even as he smiled. There were no regrets in that expression. "My name is Lewis," the Beast suddenly said, reaching out to take the heart, tears falling from his sockets. Arthur's expression furrowed. "I... I thought you should know who you'd saved..."  
  
"...Lew...is..." Arthur's expression relaxed back into a smile as Lewis gently, reverently, accepted the heart back. The golden lightning inside was coiled around his own formerly waning flame.  
  
"He's not dead." Lewis looked up at Mystery, who'd shifted to coil around Arthur, many fluffy tails laid over the man like a blanket. "He's not dead, Lewis, but if something isn't done soon, he will be." Mystery sighed, glancing between Lewis and Lady Vivian. "Chin up, Vivian. There's always a way out of things. I'll need to stay with Arthur to keep him alive, so you and Lewis will need to do the leg work," the fox said, fluffing up. He was glowing, the rise and fall of his own chest matching Arthur's. "Lewis, keep that heart close to you. It's your soul and from what Arthur said, it sounds like she was trying to steal it while you were at your weakest. Arthur gave his heart and soul for you. You're protecting him now, too."  
  
Lewis looked down in shock at the glass heart. His soul? And how had whatever threat caused Arthur to protect him like that gotten in here? The lightning crackled gently, soothing and bolstering his own strength. He had to hurry and find a way to save Arthur before that lightning fizzled out. He felt like Arthur would be lost for good if it did and that was the last thing he wanted.  
  
"We- we need to break the curse," Lady Vivian said, voice trembling with suppressed tears. Her eyes were fierce, though, staring Lewis down. "And don't you _dare_ blame yourself for this, mister. I'm the one who sent Arthur up here, and of course this selfless, reckless _idiot_ would do something like this to protect you. He's always had a good head for stuff like this. He probably had a good idea of what would happen if he protected you like that, too." She sniffled, wiping viciously at the tears that dared to escape.  
  
Lewis wasn't really listening anymore, though. The lightning was dying too fast. They didn't have time to brainstorm, much like how he supposed Arthur hadn't had much time to think about what he was doing before protecting Lewis' heart. A life freely given... "Oh."  
  
"...Lewis?" Lady Vivian stopped rambling, realizing that Lewis likely hadn't heard a word she said.  
  
"'Can you give yourself completely to another, Lewis? A Life and Heart freely given and exchanged-'" Lewis cut himself off. It was highly likely that the Enchantress who cursed him had wanted him to give up his heart to her, but... there was someone much more deserving, laying dying before him. Lewis glanced down at the glass heart in his hands and, if he'd had a proper face, he would have smiled. Arthur had given Lewis his heart, and now it was time to return the favour. Gently, he took Arthur's limp hand and placed the glass heart into it. "Into your hands, I place my heart," he whispered. He could only hope he was right...  


\----

Arthur woke to Vivi's giddy laughter and way too much fur draped over him. He felt so tired still, but he was uncomfortable and too hot. Groaning, he pushed at Mystery who pointedly refused to move. "Nn... g'off, you overgrown fluffball," the inventor slurred sleepily.  
  
"Arthur! You're awake!" Vivi sounded waaay too excited, tugging at his hand. "Open your eyes. You've _got_ to see this!" Arthur sighed, cracking open one eye to see Vivi's blurry face.  
  
"Vi... 'm tired," he whined, starting to reach up to rub his eyes before he realized he was holding something. Opening his other eye, he squinted, trying to make out what the blurry object in his hand was... until he realized with a start that it was the glass heart, completely empty. His eyes widened and he pushed more frantically at Mystery with his free hand until Vivi gently pushed him back to the floor.  
  
"Hush, Artie. I promise, everything's okay," the blunette said, tone shifting easily from excited to soothing. Arthur relaxed, but still shot a dismayed look at the empty heart. Vivi plucked it from his hand, setting it aside with a more gentle grin. "Look over there," she then said, pointing to Arthur's left. Laying next to him, chest rising and falling slowly in sleep, was a man wearing familiar clothing. The odd, bone-like protrusions were gone, but otherwise, it was the same. So was their hair, though it was actual hair instead of spectral fire formed into a hairstyle. The man was smaller than the hulking skeletal man had been, but Arthur could tell he'd still tower over them both.  
  
"...Lewis?" The name came to him like a spring breeze. That was the man's name, wasn't it? He could have sworn he'd heard the Beast say that was his name before Arthur had passed out.  
  
"That's right! I'm kinda surprised you remembered his name, to be honest. You were so far gone... I thought we'd lost you, Artie." Vivi's voice cracked and broke at the tail end of her words and Arthur whipped his head to look at her. She was crying, tears falling fast and her shoulders shaking. Wordlessly, he held out his arm, inviting her to snuggle into his side and she happily took the offer. "A-after Mystery used his magic to keep you alive, I started trying to think of how best to save both you and Lewis... but then Lewis just... He mumbled something, then placed that heart in your hand. 'Into your hands, I place my heart', I think he said... and then there was a magic storm and I thought I was gonna get blown away, but Lewis grabbed me and held me steady. When it cleared, you were breathing on your own and Lewis was... I thought he was dead, honestly. He looked so _faded._ I got him to lay down next to you and the next thing I knew, the fire inside the heart burst free and engulfed him. When it cleared, he was human and passed out," she explained slowly, doing her best to keep her voice steady and understandable.  
  
"You're both idiots. I can't believe both of you survived that," Mystery grumbled sleepily, but Arthur could tell the fox was just relieved and only pretending to be grumpy. Vivi's familiar was ancient, as old as her family's recorded history and probably older still than that, but for all he acted like a grumpy old man sometimes, Arthur knew the old fox cared about them and even though he hadn't been formerly introduced to Lewis, it was easy to tell that he'd grown attached to Lewis, too. "You two better claim him for the pack after all this," the fox grumped. Arthur and Vivi both flushed.  
  
"...I'm too tired for this," Arthur muttered after a moment. "Wake me up when Lewis wakes up."  
  
"Okay." Vivi yawned, snuggling closer into Arthur's side, making the blond smile as he wrapped his arm more securely around her. On his other side, Arthur fumbled for a moment before finding Lewis' hand and lacing his fingers through the bigger man's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after. ~~I may revisit this AU later...~~
> 
> Kindness was a little hard to capture and it may not have come through entirely, but I'm still really happy with this. And to be completely honest, I think some of the prompts are just gonna come out that way, where the word inspires me and then is just kinda this... nebulous thing in the background.
> 
> For those wondering, the nebulous backgroundness of "Kindness" is the fact that Vi and Artie don't treat Lewis like a monster. They are kind to him and treat him like a person. He'd been terrified when they first showed up and locked them in his castle for two months, but then he realized that they were Good People and let them go. They came back, knowing their once-jailer was just scared and lonely. Likely, he'd had some really bad encounters in the past. And when they came back, he opened his home to them, letting them take over the east wing for themselves.
> 
> So, on the matter of the the curse Lew was under. It had to have requirements to break it, but the Beautiful Enchantress, a fae who likes to steal and eat the warm hearts of gentle people, was as vague as possible with the conditions, meaning it took that flash of inspiration for him to figure out what she'd even meant. Her goal was to wait until the last moment before his soul flame would have burned out and then appear to devour him. She likes the spice of despair. Arthur being there was a surprise, but she figured she could eat them both at once. However, she wasn't expecting Arthur to selflessly give himself to protect Lewis from her. That kind of giving nature was her weakness and when he did that, it injured her. She either limped off to go die in a hole or she's off licking her wounds. Either way, she won't be back to bother the boys. She knows when she's beat.
> 
> Lewis managed to break his own curse by giving Arthur his heart in order to save him. It was that kind of selflessness that was the requirement to break the curse.


	7. Favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Mystery & his human kits, Arthur & Vivi & Lewis  
> Tags: ~Pre-Canon. ~Mystery-centric. ~The kitsune loves his humans/adopted kits. ~Mystery is the goodest boy. ~Canon Character Death. ~Canon(fanon?) Memory Loss. ~Canon limb loss. ~Fluff and a LOT of Angst.

Sometimes, Mystery sagged under the weight of the bonds Mushi put on his soul so very long ago, but those times were few and far between, usually when his master was not kind. Over the centuries, it happened rarely, but now was not one of these times. From the moment he'd been passed onto this generation's master when she was but a young child, Mystery felt like he was favoured by the gods. Little Vivi was something special, like a bright little star. Her hands were always delightfully cool when she carded them through his fur, magic tingling at his skin from his little star's uncontrolled touch. And she didn't come alone.  
  
Lewis was first, but only by a short time. Vivi latched onto the lost child like a barnacle, drawing him into the fold as seamlessly as if he'd always been with them. Mystery had a second kit to look after and it felt so very right. He was warm where Vivi was chill, fiery magic hovering just below the surface. Being around him and getting pets and cuddles from the boy was like flopping in front of a lit fireplace after spending a day playing in the snow.  
  
Arthur was last and folded in just as seamlessly, for all he tried to stay in the background. Neither Vivi nor Lewis allowed it and Mystery went along with them, playfully yipping at the boy and trying to get him to throw a ball for him. It didn't take long at all for Arthur to come out of his shell with all three of them ganging up on him, though he tried, in vain, to claim that he was only coming to play with Vivi's dog. Not one of them bought it.  
  
The first time Arthur really pet him, fingers digging in under his thick fur just right, Mystery had to fight not to let his fur stand on end. Static danced on the boy's fingers and Mystery suddenly understood why Arthur's hair was always spiked up. He could have laughed. Somehow, he'd gained three magically powerful kits to protect and he couldn't have been happier about it.  


\----

Losing Lewis to a _demon_ of all things was a blow. Mystery had failed to protect his kits. Lewis was dead, Mystery had needed to critically injure Arthur to save him from the demon, and Vivi had lost so much. For the entire time Arthur laid in his hospital bed, fighting for his life, Vivi sat in another, a husk of who she'd once been. Mystery whined, head resting on Vivi's lap. He'd failed his kits so badly. What had happened to the gods favouring him? He'd been granted this wonderful boon and then it had all been ripped away in a single night in a moment of lapsed judgement. If only he'd paid better attention. If only he hadn't let his kits split up.  
  
Slowly, his little star's hand came to rest on his head, absently scratching just right behind his ear, but Mystery took no joy or pleasure from it. Her fingers were warm, like something absolutely vital had been ripped from her along with her memories.  


\----

It took months for Arthur to be strong enough to awaken. Fever and infection had almost taken him multiple times and it didn't seem like he was ever going to get better, so Mystery did the only thing he could think of to save Arthur. Kitsune magic wasn't meant for healing. Not really. Even when he'd healed Shiromori's forest way back when, he'd given her literal life. A whole tail had been stripped from him back then, never to return. It made him less, but not enough to matter. He'd made himself into a trickster-guardian.  
  
When he'd been bound, his power had been sealed down. That magic was still there, though, and now he'd given it away to save the boy. Kitsune magic now linked in with Arthur's natural magic, twining together and lessening the effects of the deep-set infection that had been slowly killing the boy, and when he finally awoke, Mystery was there with his dull-eyed mistress.  
  
Mystery barked quietly when Arthur's eyes fluttered open. He wasn't expecting the young man to recoil, nearly falling off the bed as he overbalanced, not expecting the complete lack of an arm. Vivi didn't react, just stood there with Mystery's lead in one hand, her IV pole in the other.  
  
"V-v-vivi?" Arthur's voice was hoarse with disuse and Mystery whined, nosing at Vivi's hand. The words and action seemed to drag some life back to her and she startled.  
  
"O-oh! Arthur, you're awake!" Vivi grinned, but it was empty. Even Arthur, dazed and fighting to keep his breathing even as panic set in noticed. Letting out a tiny huff and mentally apologizing to Arthur for what he was about to do, Mystery set his paws on the bed and nosed the call button closer to Arthur, hinting that he should use it before dropping back to the floor and backing up behind Vivi. To his credit, he actually took the hint, hitting the button before hunching in on himself, his remaining hand gripping what was left of his missing arm. Vivi still wasn't parsing and Mystery whined.  
  
"Miss Yukino, is every-" The nurse that showed up to the call let out a tiny 'oh!' of surprise before smiling. "Mr. Kingsmen, it's so good to see you awake," she said, moving to Arthur's bedside and beginning the process of helping Arthur calm down. Something Vivi should have done, but she was still just standing there, empty grin stretching her face. She was still so broken and Mystery wasn't sure she'd ever heal.  
  
"Wh-where's... where's Lewis?" Arthur rasped. For the first time since Vivi had somehow gotten her and Arthur to the hospital, she had a proper reaction to something. Though maybe 'proper' wasn't the word for it. Mystery watched with shock as Vivi clutched at her head, whimpering as she sunk to her knees. "Vi?! Ow!" Arthur had tried to reach out to Vivi, but had forgotten about his balance issues and instead toppled over right onto his stump of an arm. Mystery, torn between his kits, whined.  
  
Eventually, Vivi was returned to her bed and Mystery with her. There was nothing he could do for Arthur right now. Hell, there was nothing he could do for either of his kits, but at least he could sit with Vivi and make sure she ate and slept. Arthur was too scared of him for that.  


\----

Arthur and Vivi's recovery was slow, but with Arthur finally awake, Vivi's mind seemed to stabilize and she slowly gained more life. Soon, it was like (almost) nothing had happened to her, except whenever Lewis' name was mentioned, Vivi disappeared, leaving only that lifeless husk for anywhere between an hour to a full day. Arthur learned quickly not to talk about Lewis. Likewise, even seeing the Pepper family diner had the same effect. Arthur tried taking her there only once, leading her away soon after. Anything to do with Lewis needed to be hidden from her and Mystery could see that it broke Arthur's heart a little more each time.  
  
A year passed, then two. Mystery watched as his kits slowly pieced their lives back together from the shattered remains of them after The Cave. Arthur built himself a fully functional prosthetic, went through three surgeries to prepare him for, then install the mount for the metal arm, and both Vivi and Mystery were so proud of him for it. Once he had the new arm and could use it as if he'd never lost the original, the three of them hit the road. Vivi was eager to return to paranormal research and Arthur... Arthur was eager for another reason entirely. Mystery could only watch, dismayed, as Arthur wore himself to the bone looking for Lewis. It broke his heart that he couldn't just... tell his kit that there was nothing to look for. Lewis was long dead, likely broken bones at the bottom of a cliff in a cave Mystery would never let his kits enter again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mystery is so heckin' sad about this all. :(
> 
> Warning; from here, my upload times may be a bit wonky. I wasted two days on something I'm... really not happy with, so... gotta rewrite. Might shift it to another day with some reworking. I dunno. Might post it on its own. Who knows. Either way, it's not being posted for the 7th. ::sigh::


	8. Timid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis/Vivi, Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Ghost!Arthur AU. ~No one has any memory issues. ~Hurt/Comfort. ~Fluff and Angst. ~Minorly graphic depiction of someone impaled. ~Electrobeats are cute. ~And show Arthur's affections for his friends.

Arthur Kingsmen had always been timid. From as young as he could remember to right that moment, he'd been the one to stay in the background, hovering and trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery had, not changed that, but made it easier to not be so timid. They took him out of his comfort zone on a regular basis, but they made it so _easy._  
  
And then they, with some poking and prodding from Arthur, got together. They were so distracted by the new relationship that they kinda forgot that Arthur needed help sometimes. Perhaps someone outside their group would have said that Vivi and Lewis were bad friends. Arthur would disagree. It wasn't their fault. Between the honeymoon phase of their relationship and Arthur's natural tendency to sink into the background, it couldn't be helped. They'd notice eventually. Until then, he'd deal with things on his own.  
  
He didn't realize that the choice to not ask for help would lead to his own death. Well, better him than Lewis or Vivi.  


\----

The monster in the cave was an insidious one. It sat in the form of heavy, green fog, roiling like a pit of vipers throughout the cave. It whispered, not-voice like slime in Arthur's mind. No, he would not push Lewis. He loved Lewis and he loved Vivi. He wouldn't hurt either of them like that.  
  
But the creeping monster would not let him go. It forced his arm up, forced the left side of his mouth up into a vicious grin. But Arthur still had control of his feet. The right side of his face twisted in its own mockery of a smile, his right eye closing for a moment as he made a snap decision. If it was either him or Lewis... Arthur refused to kill his best friend.  


\----

Shockingly, the spikes rammed through his chest and hip didn't even hurt. Maybe it was shock. Maybe it was still that green monster that had taken over his left side. Oh. Yes, that was probably it. Arthur could see the green fading and now. Now it hurt. Someone was screaming. No, two people were screaming and... dog howling. Mystery was howling. He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth and suddenly Vivi was there, holding his head against her shoulder as her other hand hovered uncertainly near the spike sticking out of his chest. "Oh god, Arthur... Please, hold on, we'll get you help," Vivi cried. He could feel her tears falling on his face.  
  
"I-it's okay, Vi," Arthur rasped, voice so quiet even he could barely hear it. Or maybe that was just... yeah. He couldn't hear very well anymore. His ears were ringing and everything was getting darker. It didn't hurt anymore, either. "Doesn't... hurt... at all..."  


\----

You'd think, as a ghost, Arthur would feel more confident. And yet, he was still the same timid boy he'd always been. The cave had been easy to leave behind, thankfully. He might have gone mad if he couldn't leave the place he'd died. When he'd woken there as a ghost, his body had thankfully already been taken. There'd been dried blood around the spikes and he'd been able to follow the little droplets of rusty brown to right outside the cave. From there, he'd seen tire tracks from multiple vehicles. The van and likely emergency services.  
  
He'd had a choice to make, hovering outside the cave. He didn't feel like he could move on, otherwise, he probably would have, so he was stuck on two options. Firstly, he could go home. Maybe haunt Kingsmen Mechanics and fix cars in the middle of the night? Could he even interact with things like this? He didn't know. His second option, and the one he chose to go with, was to stay away.  
  
He drifted for what felt like a long time, until he came to an empty stretch of road what had to be about a thousand miles or so from home. Far enough away that it'd take at least a few hours of driving along the desert highway to get to where he was. From there, he drifted about a mile into the desert and, following some instinct he wasn't aware he had, constructed himself a home. When it was done, it was like a clone of Kingsmen Mechanics, right down to the glowing neon sign. That, he changed quickly and then laughed at how ridiculous the new sign was. "Ghost House" indeed. Anyone who saw it would probably think it was some weird attraction out in the middle of nowhere. It wouldn't be the first time he'd seen something weird out in the desert when the Mystery Skulls were out on a paranormal road trip.  
  
The ghost sighed, turning off and then dispelling the sign with a flick of his wrist before turning and going into the building.  


\----

It had been six months since Arthur had died. Six months of grieving for the blond and Lewis didn't think his heart would ever stop aching. Vivi was crying quietly into his shirt as they stood in front of Arthur's grave and Lewis wished he could comfort her. The truth was, they'd both loved their timid best friend. They'd even been talking about perhaps asking him to join their relationship and had noticed him trying to sink into the background (and sadly, succeeding up to that point).  
  
The worst part about losing Arthur was that it could have been avoided. He hadn't wanted to go into the cave. It was the most reluctant they'd ever seen him and they both knew that he was sensitive to the paranormal. That reluctance hadn't been just fear of the creepy cave entrance and they should have realized that. But they hadn't. Vivi had been her regular, gung-ho self and Lewis had just reassured Arthur that everything would be okay and off they went.  
  
Things hadn't been okay. They'd split up and Lewis had gone with Arthur, intending on broaching the topic of poly relationships with the slightly older man, but then... He'd turned and Arthur was... half his body was green, the left side of his face twisted into a sickening expression of glee as his left hand rose. Lewis had the feeling that he was about to die. But then, the right half of his best friend's face had twisted too, tears falling as a determined, pained smile took the side of his face he clearly still had control of. Seconds before Arthur's possessed arm would have made contact with Lewis' chest, Arthur lunged sideways, throwing himself off the ledge. Lewis hadn't even had time to react.  
  
It was hard to look. Lewis had seen the many rock spires below them when he looked before and he knew what he'd see if he looked now, but he had to know... maybe Arthur had gotten lucky and missed being impaled...? No such luck. From below, he heard Vivi screaming. He looked over the edge, on his hands and knees. Arthur was... there was bloody stone sticking out of the left side of his chest, another rammed through his hip. Lewis couldn't help screaming Arthur's name and behind him, Mystery howled. Lewis couldn't even stop to wonder why the dog wasn't with Vivi. All Lewis could focus on was getting help, even as he saw Vivi cradling Arthur's head. He could see, faintly, that Arthur's lips were moving. He was alive somehow and still awake, so Lewis scrambled up and rushed out of the cave, already fumbling with his phone to call for help.  
  
By the time help had arrived, it had been far too late. Vivi had been found clinging to Arthur's body, sobbing. The one comfort they had was that Arthur hadn't been in any pain at the end. He'd passed peacefully.  
  
"Come on, Vi... let's go..." Lewis whispered, the arm he had around her shoulder's squeezing for a second as he looked from the grave, absolutely covered in mounds of flowers, to the top of his girlfriend's mop of blue hair. It hung limply, Vivi having not been taking good care of herself since The Cave. Arthur would have been heartbroken if he could see her now.  
  
That was the entire reason he had planned a road trip. Uncle Lance had agreed wholeheartedly with the idea of Lewis getting Vivi out of town. The man was as much family to them as he had been to Arthur and had secretly given the van to Lewis. He'd also given Lewis a crash course in mechanics so that Lewis could take over repairing the thing if it happened to break down on the side of the road. He wasn't nearly as good as Arthur had been, but doing the simple fixes that Arthur had frequently been doing wasn't too big a deal anymore, thankfully. He was as ready to go as he'd ever be. Maybe Arthur would have even been proud of him for it.  
  
"...okay..." 

\----

Lewis had been right. Getting out of town seemed to do Vivi a world of good. She hadn't had a hand in planning, too busy grieving Arthur, but Lewis figured he'd done a good job. Most of the "haunted locations" he'd dug up and gotten the go-ahead to investigate had been busts, but Vivi was still clearly having fun. She still had that haunted, sad look in her eyes, but she'd brightened significantly and Lewis felt proud of himself for having a hand in it.  
  
But all good things come to an end, as they say. They both needed to return to Tempo sooner or later and Lewis had run out of stops for their trip. He almost didn't even want to go back. Back home was where Arthur's grave was. Back home was where they'd never see their best friend's gentle smile in real life ever again. Back home was where Vivi would lose her sparkle again.  
  
Maybe they should just pack up and move to a new town? There were too many memories in their small town. Everyone and everything had, at some point, been touched by Arthur, be it the blond going out of his way to clean up the small park attached to the town's elementary school or him doing his best to help everyone in town with anything they needed. He'd always seemed so timid, but there was no one who didn't have reason to love him. Arthur was a sweetheart who'd never even squish a bug on purpose, let alone leave someone hanging if they ever needed help.  
  
Lost in thought as he was, Lewis, at first, didn't notice the van sputtering. But then Mystery barked, getting his attention just in time for the van to give one last hiccup before drifting to a stop in the middle of nowhere. "Oh, man..." Lewis muttered, but sighed and undid his seatbelt. Welp, time to break out the jumpsuit, roller board thingy, and tools...  
  
"Mm? Lewlew...?" Vivi muttered sleepily.  
  
"Van broke down. Don't worry, though, I got this," Lewis replied, opening the door. Only, as he was about to step out, he noticed something strange a little ways away. Was that... a building? In the middle of the desert? The shape looked oddly familiar... like Kingsmen Mechanics? Lewis squinted. There was no neon sign, but all the windows were lit up a warm, inviting gold. Instead of grabbing the tool chest, Lewis instead reached over the back of the seat for Arthur's binoculars.  
  
Vivi sat up from where she was slumped against the door? "Lew? What're you doing?"  
  
"There's something weird..." Lewis replied distractedly. Mystery was also staring intently in the direction of the lit up building. When Lewis looked through the lenses, he saw that the building did, indeed, look identical to Kingsmen Mechanics. The garage door was even open, though he couldn't make out anything inside beyond the warm gold glow. "What the hell...? Vi, check this out and tell me I'm not just seeing things?" he asked, passing the tool off to her. She leaned over Lewis' shoulder, looking in the binoculars herself before her jaw dropped.  
  
"Uh. That looks like Kingsmen Mechanics? But aren't we still in the middle of nowhere?" the blunette asked. Lewis nodded, taking the binoculars back and putting them on the dash.  
  
"So. One more spooky place before home?" Lewis asked with a chuckle. The look Vivi shot him basically said everything it needed to, so the two humans and one dog hopped out of the van and, after Lewis had locked the doors, headed off into the desert.  
  
As they got closer, the pair noticed signs of life inside the building. The familiar sounds of a vehicle being worked on echoed from inside the garage, which they still couldn't see inside of, oddly enough. The golden haze was just too thick and a locked gate kept them from the open garage doors, too. "So... if this is Kingsmen Mechanics, that should be the reception?" Vivi asked quietly, pointing at a door off to the side of the building. Lewis nodded and the pair of them approached. Just before Lewis could reach for the doorknob, the door swung open by itself.  
  
"...okay. Looks like we've been invited in?" Lewis muttered. Mystery barked.  
  
"H-hold on! I'll be with you in a- in a moment!" a very familiar voice called. Lewis and Vivi shot each other wide-eyed looks. That voice was impossible... but unmistakable. Anger bubbled in Lewis' chest. Some creature that lived in the desert must have been preying on them. Well, it had another thing coming if it thought it could trick them into falling for an illusion of their dead best friend. Just as Lewis was about to storm further into the building and give whatever it was pretending to be Arthur a good punch, a skeletal creature with sparking lightning for hair stepped into the room. It wore a beat-up mechanic's uniform over what looked like... a formal suit and tie? The collar of the suit and knot of the golden-yellow tie poked over the neckline of an oil-stained jumpsuit. The creature's sockets widened comically before it stepped back, shock basically radiating from the creature. "L-l-lewis? Viv-vivi? Myst-mystery?" The creature stuttered, then fat, inky tears welled up in it's sockets before it turned and fled, disappearing in moments.  
  
"Lew... That was... Was that... Artie?" Vivi asked, sounding just as shocked as Lewis felt. If this was a predatory creature trying to trick them, why would it have run away? Why wouldn't it have tried to talk to them? It didn't make any sense.  
  
"I-... I don't know," Lewis replied slowly, staring off after where the creature had gone. Did they follow it?  
  
Before Lewis or Vivi could make a choice, they heard a sound that reminded Lewis of the synth Arthur liked to play. A single, electronic note hummed through the room. Mystery barked, getting their attention and Lewis looked down to see a gold creature that looked like a sheet ghost with stubby arms and a magenta star shape on its front patting Mystery on the head. The thing looked up at them with huge, soulful eyes, then made another note-like sound. "Oh. My. God," Vivi muttered and when Lewis focused on her, she seemed to have brightened, eyes sparkling. "You're so cute!"  
  
"Vi, wai-...t." Lewis sighed. Too late. She was cuddling the little sheet ghost blob thing, which looked and sounded incredibly happy about the turn of events. The little thing was singing a happy little tune of harmonic notes. There were two more of them peaking around the door frame, reminding Lewis of Arthur when they were kids. Arthur would do that all the time. Peak around doorframes, lacking the courage needed to just enter a room without being called in. Arthur had gotten braver over the years, which they all secretly accredited to Vivi's influence. Judging by the actions of the first and the fact that Mystery wasn't reacting negatively to the little things, Lewis sighed, judging them harmless. "Well? Are you coming in? Isn't this your place?" They looked at each other before letting out harmonious notes and entering the reception room. Aside from the fact that the stars on their fronts were differing colours (red and blue), the two were identical to the first in appearance, though they hovered uncertainly.  
  
Then, they started singing and Lewis got the impression of words. And though his ears heard nothing but synth notes, he _understood_ them. <"Master is sad and scared and lonely. Master misses loved ones. Wants to go home but _scared_. Wants loved ones but _scared_ loved ones won't want him. Don't miss him? Loved ones here now. Miss master? Master needs more than deadbeats. Master is sick with loneliness. Makes cars better to ignore how alone. Not helping now. Master needs loved ones,"> they 'said' in a rush, notes becoming discordant and distressed.  
  
"Wait, wait. Slow down," Lewis demanded, holding his head as the sounds became ear-piercing. The little things fell silent, thankfully. "Deadbeats? That's you three?" The one with the magenta star trilled an affirmative. "And your master... the skeletal creature?"  
  
<"Ghost. Master is ghost. Deadbeats are weak ghosts. Just whisps. Master is powerful. Protects deadbeats from things that would eat deadbeats. Deadbeats love master, but master... Protects but is maybe a little scared of deadbeats,"> they replied.  
  
"Huh. I didn't know that about ghosts," Vivi muttered, curiousity in her voice. She was their paranormal expert, but as a living person, there was only so much she could know. If that ghost really was Arthur... maybe he could teach her more? And wasn't that ironically funny? The one most scared of anything paranormal was now a ghost and the _actual_ expert. Vivi would have thought he'd have moved on. What could be holding him back? "Is your master... really Arthur?" she asked. The deadbeats trilled.  
  
<"Master is master. But master's old name... might be? Deadbeats don't ask. Master doesn't tell. Master talks about loved one's Lewis and Vivi much though. Talks about 'Uncle Lance' fondly. Deadbeats do not know Lewis, Vivi, or Uncle Lance but master loves them, so deadbeats will help them if they can."> The little ghosts, minus the one that Vivi was still cuddling, hovered uncertainly for a moment before drifting closer to the door. <"Master is crying. Loved ones see master now?> they asked.  
  
"Yes! Please, take us to him," Vivi said, hugging her captive Deadbeat a little tighter. It made a happy little chime and snuggled closer into her arms. The other two led the way through the back door into what should have been the garage area. Instead, beyond the reception area was a veritable maze of halls and rooms.  
  
<"Master is distressed. Makes maze to hide. Deadbeats know the way, will not let loved ones get lost. Loved ones safe in master's domain,"> they told the living trio. Mystery trotted confidently after the Deadbeats, leaving Vivi and Lewis to follow. Hall after hall, some seeming to lead to dead ends before the space seemed to shift for the leading Deadbeats. The place seemed designed to fool the mind and get them confused. Knowing Arthur, if they hadn't had the Deadbeats to guide them, the maze would have just spat them back out into the reception room, a casual hint to leave. But they did have the Deadbeats and eventually, their walk led them to a familiar room, the door ajar.  
  
Sounds of quiet crying echoed from within and the leading deadbeats let out sad notes before heading into the room. "...hey Casio, Siel... sorry, I g-guess you guys could tell, huh? Where's Orphica?" Quiet singing could be heard from in the room, but they weren't talking to Lewis and Vivi anymore, so Lewis had no clue what they said. The deadbeat in Vivi's arms, which Lewis assumed must be named Orphica, stayed quiet. "With lov-... guys, really, why do you insis- insist on calling them th-that?" Arthur let out a watery laugh and Lewis carefully looked into the room. The two Deadbeats that had gone in were snuggled up into Arthur's arms, the skeletal ghost hugging them and letting out little sniffling sounds as if his nose were running from the crying. "So I guess that m-means they are still h-here? Of course- of course, they are... like Vi would... would leave something pa-paranormal uninvestigated..." Arthur sighed, though he didn't sound upset about it, so Lewis took a deep, steadying breath and knocked on the doorframe.  
  
Arthur squeaked. "You brought them- you brought them here?!" he yelped and then he could be heard scrambling to his feet. Lewis glanced back over his shoulder at Vivi who was looking determined. They shared a silent conversation over Orphica's little head in the span of time it took Arthur to manage to get to the door and throw it open completely. "Le-!" Lewis didn't give Arthur time to even get out his name completely, grabbing Arthur and pulling him into a crushing hug. Arthur's arms flailed for a moment before wrapping around Lewis' chest, fingers curling into Lewis' sweater with a sob. Soon enough, Vivi joined the hug, one arm around each of the boys, silent tears trailing down her cheeks. Lewis wanted to hug her, too, but couldn't bring himself to remove even one arm from around Arthur.  


\----

By the time the tears had stopped and Lewis could bring himself to let go of Arthur even the slightest bit, they'd all somehow migrated into Arthur's room proper and were kneeling on the floor. "God, we missed you so much, Art," Lewis whispered. The Deadbeats trilled, harmonizing as they patted the two humans and their master. They didn't seem to be saying anything this time, though, just singing for the sake of singing.  
  
"Yeah, we did! Why did you stay away if you were here the whole time?!" Vivi demanded, grabbing Arthur's shoulders and shaking him a little.  
  
"I-... I thought you'd be... that you'd be better off w-without me... I... I died and... I didn't want you two to- to think that I h-had any re- had any regrets or, um... or anything," Arthur whispered, looking away. "I don't. I pro-protected Lewis. Wouldn't change th-that for the- for the world."  
  
"Protected Lewis?" Vivi asked, shooting her boyfriend a look. Lewis hadn't said anything about there being a threat. In fact, he hadn't even said how Arthur had died. There'd been no sign that he'd been pushed or anything and the official cause of death had been listed as accidental. Arthur had gotten too close to the edge and had slipped and fallen. Lewis hadn't said anything to the contrary.  
  
"...Arthur was... possessed..." Lewis said slowly, sighing.  
  
Arthur nodded. "It wanted-... wanted me to- to p-push Lew. It was going to and I... I couldn't fight it, so... I threw myself off the ledge," he explained.  
  
"Oh god... that means... your death was my fault..." Vivi said quietly, tears in her eyes. Lewis flinched.  
  
"This is why I didn't tell you what actually happened," he said with a sigh, sagging. One of the Deadbeats snuggled up to Lewis while the one that Vivi had been cuddling before snuggled up to her. "I didn't think Arthur would want you blaming yourself."  
  
"Lew's right. It's-it's not your fault, Vi. I- I knew there was... something really wrong with- with that c-cave. I should have-should have put up a bigger fuss about it. You would have l-listened if I had. Always did before, anyway. My own fault, not yours," Arthur confirmed, voice firm despite the stuttering which was the worst Lewis had ever heard it. "Thank you for-for not telling until now, Lewis."  
  
"Uh... you're welcome?" Lewis responded, feeling a little awkward about being thanked for hiding the truth from Vivi.  
  
"Um... question? How did-how did you guys even, uh... even find me?" Arthur then asked, canting his head.  
  
"The van broke down just outside. I noticed the shop from the road and so we came to investigate," Lewis replied with a chuckle. Vivi nodded and Mystery barked.  
  
Arthur stared at Lewis for a moment before arching a single browbone. "You... you're using the van? Even though it- it breaks down so much?" he asked. Lewis chuckled again and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Uncle Lance taught me how to fix it if it broke. I'm not the best at it in the world, but I managed. It was just sheer dumb luck that it broke down again basically on your front step," he said, but Arthur groaned.  
  
"No, it probably wasn't, ac-actually. I think, uh... I think I might... have an effect on electronics? Or at least... this place? The, uh... The Electrobeats told me that I h-have a lot of p-power?" Arthur rubbed the back of his head in a familiar sheepish gesture. "It's uh... given me a lot of b-business. Busywork. There was a l-lady in my shop j-just before y-you entered... d-didn't k-know I'm a ghost..."  
  
"Wait! How could she _not_ know you're a ghost?!" Vivi demanded, motioning to Arthur's entire appearance, making the ghost laugh.  
  
"I, uh... I think it m-might have s-something to do with... spiritual awareness, maybe? I can, uh... make myself look human t-to those that are m-more aware? But it's harder? Those that h-have no awareness... just s-seem to see a r-regular person?" Arthur paused, thoughtful. "M-maybe that's why th-there are so m-many Elvis sightings?" he joked. Both Lewis and Vivi stared at him stunned for a moment before cracking up.  
  
"Oh my god, that makes so much _sense_!" Vivi cried out through her laughter. Lewis got the impression that Arthur was grinning, pleased with himself for making them laugh.  
  
"Wait, so if we're seeing your current regular form?" Lewis asked.  
  
"Yeah, high spiritual a-awareness. You're s-surprised by this?" Arthur asked, browridge raising. "Vi is like... a magnet for spoo-spooky things and you, uh... you've never had a problem seeing para-paranormal shit either. And I, uh... always had a s-sense for when things were... were t-too dangerous? Though I g-guess that failed at the end..." Arthur trailed off, the air in the room seeming to feel heavier. The Deadbeats (Electrobeats?) started singing again, trilling out notes faster than Lewis could parse them. The sound was both discordant and harmonious at the same time, throwing Lewis for a loop and hurting his head.  
  
"Owwww..." Vivi complained. The little ghosts all stopped at once, looking sheepish. The magenta-starred one returned to Vivi, sheepishly nuzzling her hand.  
  
<"Sorry. Don't mean to cause pain. Deadbeats only wanted master to feel better,"> the magenta-starred one sang.  
  
"It's okay. We just want Arthur to feel better, too," Vivi replied, then looked at said ghost. "Hey, Artie? Question for you." Arthur made an inquisitive sound, the golden lights of his eyes locking on her. "These little guys call themselves 'Deadbeats'? But you said Electrobeats when mentioning them?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Um. They said... all weaker spirits who attach th-themselves to stronger ghosts call themselves D-deadbeats? But, um... they've been so helpful and... calling them deadbeats seemed mean? Also, they sound like electronic m-music, so...." He paused, shrugging. "Electrobeats. The one with the m-magenta star is Orphica, the blue one is Casio, and the red one is Siel. S-sorry for the late in-introductions."  
  
<"Deadbeats are deadbeats. Master doesn't like it though,"> Siel chirped, settling themself on Arthur's shoulder while Orphica seemed to stick close to Vivi and Casio to Lewis.  
  
"I a-also don't like b-being called master," Arthur quipped back, rolling his eyes a little. "I swear they, uh... they do it just t-to mess with me."  
  
"I'm not so sure about that. They were calling you master when we were alone with them, too," Lewis said, chuckling. "Maybe you guys should just call him Arthur, though? Pretty sure I'd be uncomfortable being called 'master' too."  
  
<"Loved one Lewis is not dead though. Loved one Lewis doesn't need to worry about what deadbeats call master,"> Casio sang, poking Lewis with a stubby arm. <"Wait until loved one Lewis is ghost, too. Loved one Lewis will be strong and have many deadbeats. Deadbeats love master. Master keeps deadbeats safe safe safe. Whisp eaters do not get to eat deadbeats because master is strong."> Casio seemed pleased with themself, even as Arthur looked incredibly embarrassed over the fact that the little Deadbeat kept calling Lewis 'loved one'.  
  
"Who's to say I'll even be a ghost when I die?" Lewis asked, both brows raising. Orphica raised one stubby arm and waved it.  
  
<"Orphica knows. Orphica tells loved one Lewis. Loved one Vivi, too. Ghosts are strong people or those with strong connection to spirits or nature, so loved ones will be ghosts after death, deadbeats can tell. Orphica was once little one who talked to ghosts. Wasn't strong, but had connection, so Orphica became a whisp. Long long time, Orphica alone, alone and chased. Then master came. Master was lonely and crying, so Orphica asked for protection and master gave it.">  
  
"Yeah, w-well... they felt about as s-scared and lonely as I was." Arthur shrugged. "It was less l-lonely with Orphie around... and then Cas and Siel showed up not long a-after."  
  
"I'm glad you had people to look after you while we weren't there to do so," Lewis murmured, patting Casio's head. Vivi nodded, leaning into Arthur and resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Speaking of... Artie, will you and your little ghosts come home with us?" Vivi asked.  
  
"I-I dunno, Vi... I'm... I'm dead and I... I dunno if, well... i-isn't part of your job to... to help ghosts move on? K-kinda counter pro-productive to, uh... be haunted?" Arthur asked, laughing hesitantly.  
  
"This is different. Dead or not, you're one of us." She exchanged a look with Lewis, who nodded. She nodded back. "Look, Artie, we love you. We've always loved you and we were sucky at showing it after you helped me and Lew get our heads out of our asses, I know, but. We want you with us. It doesn't matter that you're dead. You're still here. And when me and Lew die, we can all move on together."  
  
Siel let out a thoughtful little string of sounds, no melody, no words, but then nodded. <"Is likely, yes. Could move on if together. Master's anchor shows loved ones.">  
  
"Siel!" Arthur's skull turned gold and his hair sparked in his version of a flush over both Vivi's and Siel's words and he buried his face in his hands.  
  
<"Seen before. Powerful ghost waiting on loved ones. Previous master left Casio once loved ones joined previous master,"> Casio agreed. <"If reason for stay is each other, then perhaps won't be ghost long after death. Perhaps loved one Lewis will never have deadbeats. Is shame. Loved one Lewis feels strong.">  
  
<"May Orphica share thoughts?">  
  
"Please, go r-right ahead. You've b-been sharing them thus f-far, anyway," Arthur groaned. Nothing the magenta-starred Electrobeat could say now could embarrass him further.  
  
<"Orphica thinks master should go with loved ones. Master loves loved ones, so why not go and protect them, too. Might do better job than not-dog does,"> Orphica's song changed and everyone in the room got the impression that the Electrobeat would have been speaking in a deadpan, snarky tone. Then their words clicked and everyone turned to look at Mystery, who'd, up to that point, been sitting quietly in the doorway.  
  
"Not-dog? Orphie? What do you mean by that?" Vivi asked slowly, staring suspiciously at Mystery.  
  
<"Not-dog is not a dog. Not-dog is other. Old, old, old,"> all three Electrobeats chorused. <"Ask not-dog. Not-dog can tell. Deadbeats are old, too. Can tell.">  
  
"Uh... yeah... Mystery is... he, uh... feels weird. I always thought so? But not d-dangerous, so, um..." Arthur looked away, fiddling with his hands.  
  
"Mystery?" The dog sighed at the accusatory tone in Vivi's voice, flopping down.  
  
["I'm really not getting out of this, am I? I swear I can explain."]  
  
"Oh. My. God. My dog is talking." Vivi sounded stunned, but not angry. In fact, she looked kinda like Christmas had come early. "This is so _cool_!" The reaction caused the entire room to bust out laughing. It felt good, like a pressure had been relieved.  
  
"M-maybe... explain on the road, M-Mystery?" Arthur asked, floating up and then unfolding his legs from under him to stand. "I, uh... we should... m-maybe get moving... I'll fix the v-van."  
  
Vivi's eyes practically glowed as she leapt to her feet with a giddy laugh. "Does this mean you're coming too, Artie?!"  
  
"Uh... y-yeah...? I, uh... don't think it's a good i-idea to go h-home, though... so, um..."  
  
"Vi and I have our own place now. We'd put the down payment on it before..." Lewis stopped, sighing. "It was supposed to be for all of us."  
  
"O-oh. W-well then... take me home?" Arthur asked and once again, the air was filled with a sense of happiness.  


\----

Lewis opened the door to their home, making an 'after you' gesture to the ghost who now stood on their doorstep. "Welcome home, Arthur Kingsmen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The deadbeats/electrobeats are all named after keytars because Arthur's a nerd and they sound like synthesizers when they get talking/singing, but they are portable. Thus, keytars.
> 
> Orphica (magenta) was the first one he got, followed by Casio (blue), then Siel (red) and they all showed up right after he settled in his conjured workshop. They call themselves Deadbeats because that's what these weak ghosts (whisps) call themselves after they find a stronger ghost to protect them. Arthur doesn't like that name because it sounds mean, so since they sound like synthesizers and they all have little lightning bolt antennae from his influence, he calls them Electrobeats instead.
> 
> Also, they may call Artie 'master', but they still like to sass and tease him. They learned quickly that it was the fastest way to get him out of a sad mood. 
> 
> ~~I've been writing on and off since I woke up around 10am my time. It's now 8:41pm and I think I'm happy enough with this? Not entirely, but it's better than what I had before. I'm still subjecting you all to angst two days in a row, though. Didn't mean to do that. Sorry. DX~~
> 
> ~~Tomorrow will be happier.~~
> 
> A year later, they hear about an Elvis sighting, and Vivi remembered Arthur's joke, so they went on an Elvis hunt. Turns out he _is_ a powerful ghost and just a really nice guy. He goes to Elvis impersonator contests because he likes seeing people having fun with his image. He has ten white Deadbeats that all sound like guitars when they sing. Elvis' Deadbeats and Arthur's Electrobeats sing together for a while, while Arthur gets some ghost pointers he didn't know about. Like the best way to call up one's living face without expending too much energy and having to rest in their anchor for a few days. He takes advantage of the new ability to kiss Lewis and Vivi whenever he wants (or more like, whenever they want because he's still too timid to take the initiative). lol


	9. Chill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~A few years post The Future. ~Vivi being Vivi. ~She's a little snow imp... at least according to Arthur. ~Arthur has had time to recover and gain some (more like a lot of) confidence. ~Mystery has mushy parent feels about his humans. ~Just fluffy OT3 stuff.

"Vi~! Le-let go, you're _cold_!" Arthur whined, playfully pushing at Vivi, who was draped across his bareback. He'd been getting ready for bed when Vivi had decided he needed a hug. However, ever since that whole debacle with Mystery getting possessed and everything that happened before, she'd radiated _cold_ like an AC unit turned too high up... and she liked using her boys as space heaters when it started getting too much for her. Perfectly fine when he _wasn't_ shirtless, but... yeah.  
  
From the bed in the back of the van, Arthur could hear Lewis cackling and he whined and squirmed more. "Go cuddle with Lew, Vi! I'll be a-along in a m-minute," he promised, fighting not to shiver as he felt her grin against his left shoulder.  
  
"Oh, fine. You're no fun, Artie," Vivi replied, sounding like she was whining, but it was muffled against his skin and he could still feel her grin, so he knew she was just teasing him. After another moment, she released him, letting him tug on the flannel shirt he used for sleeping while they were on the road between towns. It kept most of Vivi's now natural chill away from his skin, which he was grateful for. Especially since it kept the chill away from the metal port that was now a part of his shoulder. That _really_ hurt when it got too cold, though he never mentioned it to any of his friends. Mystery would feel worse for what he'd been forced to do, and Arthur knew the disguised kitsune already had a massive guilt complex over the entire Cave Incident.  
  
"Jesus, Vi, you really are cold tonight!" Arthur heard Lewis yelp and this time it was his turn to laugh. Lewis being a ghost made him more sensitive to temperature than when he'd been alive apparently, but he didn't get too hot or too cold like the two living humans in the group. Still, it was funny. A blast of warm air came and Vivi practically purred as she cuddled up to Lewis, who was currently in his human disguise. Arthur grinned, taking advantage of that to lean over Vivi and give their boyfriend a quick kiss.  
  
"Hey! What about me!" Vivi complained, pouting.  
  
"Nope. You lost kiss rights when you fr-froze my back," Arthur replied, flopping down next to Vivi and draping his remaining arm over her.  
  
"Aw, you're mean, Artie... you'll give me a kiss, right LewLew?" she asked, pouting at Lewis... who smirked and then promptly dropped his human facade. "Hey! You guys are m-! Mmph!" Arthur cut her off with a kiss, grinning against her lips as she melted into it, Lewis laughing with delight beside them.  
  
Mystery, hiding out in the front seat of the van to avoid the pile of mush his kits always turned into nowadays, let out a silent huff of a laugh. Things may have changed to astronomical degrees, but the fact that they endured and came out the other side stronger and closer together than ever made him so very proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vivi's an ice cube 24/7, but sometimes, it's worse. She's still learning to control her magic.
> 
> Short and sweet fluff to make up for all that angst the last two chapters. ~~I'm so sorry about Timid turning into an angst-fest.~~


	10. Clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Lewis-centric. ~Mentions of a near-death experience. ~Everyone's okay, though. ~If a little traumatized. ~Arthur, you should be used to this by now. ~Comfort cuddles and cloud watching.

Lewis loved cloud watching. Laying on a blanket out on a grassy field in cooler regions than the desert town he and his best friends called home was one of the most relaxing things, and right now, he was fully enjoying the experience. The night before had been rough, an investigation gone terribly wrong. Lewis and Vivi had been in little danger, but if something was to go wrong, Arthur was usually a magnet for it. They'd almost lost him to a ritual sacrifice of all things. Lewis shivered at the memory of Arthur tied up on a stone altar, screaming through a gag as a cultist was cleaning a stupidly sharp dagger.  
  
They were all going to have nightmares about it for the next month, Lewis imagined.  
  
But now they were safe, in the middle of nowhere at noon, laying on a picnic blanket with Arthur sandwiched between himself and Vivi, Mystery curled up by their heads in easy reach of Arthur who had the fingers of one hand buried in the dog's fur. Lewis didn't even need to take his eyes off the sky to know that Arthur was as relaxed as he was ever going to be the day after something like that. The blond's eyes were likely closed, too. Arthur didn't find cloud gazing as relaxing as Lewis did, instead taking comfort in having Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery right there, in contact at all times.  
  
Soon, Lewis would have to get up and make them all something to eat, but not yet. For now, he'd enjoy the peace and feeling of safety permeating the air around them, listening as Arthur's rough breathing slowly evened out into something approaching sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short piece because lol, I spent too long on things that I'm probably gonna post AFTER this challenge is done. I was trying to write for this prompt, but the results veered too far off and I think I can expand on them better at another time.


	11. Sweater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Vivi & Mystery, Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Everyone's alive AU. ~Arthur has anxiety. ~Mostly non-verbal Arthur. ~Sign language. ~Arthur can talk but has a nasty stutter that he can barely stand at the best of times. ~Arthur's stutter makes him anxious. ~Vivi loves cuddles and her boyfriends' soft sweaters. ~The crew all know Mystery is a Kitsune.
> 
> Here. Have another cute, fluffy thing.

Vivi grinned as she dug through the freshly washed laundry. It was her turn to do it and she'd just finished pulling the first load from the drier, but she didn't intend on putting anything away yet. "Ah-hah!" she exclaimed, triumphantly pulling first a light orange sweater, then a dusty pink one from the pile of clothing. The orange one fit her nicely, replacing her oversized blue sweater which was tossed into the pile of dirty laundry to the side. The second one, however, belonged to Lewis. When she tugged it on, it dwarfed her, coming down to her knees and completely covering her hands. She giggled to herself, pushing up the sleeves as she enjoyed how warm the soft wool was. Arthur was surprisingly good at finding the softest clothing ever. Or maybe not so surprising. He tended to feel less anxious if everything that touched his skin was either soft or weighted. Better if it was both.  
  
She hummed as she got the next two loads cycled in, then headed into the living room to relax and enjoy the warmth of the fresh-washed sweaters. "Borrowed the boys' things again, have you, Vivi?" Mystery asked as she flopped down next to him.  
  
"Of course! They aren't here for cuddles right now, so I have to make do, right?" the blunette replied, laughing as she closed her eyes. Maybe she could get away with a nap before her boyfriends got home? Probably. Arthur was at Kingsmen Mechanics and Lewis was at Pepper Paradiso, either working or babysitting. Perhaps both, depending on how busy it was.  


\----

[Hey, Lew,] Arthur signed, shooting his boyfriend a smile as he walked into Pepper Paradiso.  
  
"Art! Hey, I'll be with you in a minute," Lewis shot back, breezing past with a tray of food. Once he'd delivered it to the customers and made sure they didn't need anything else, he headed over to where Arthur had taken up the two-seater booth in the corner. "Sorry about that. Wasn't expecting you to be here early."  
  
[It's okay. Didn't have much to do today. Shop was quiet and we finished early. Figured I'd come by and wait for your shift to be over,] Arthur replied with a sheepish grin. [I think I'm too early, though?]  
  
"Nah, that's totally fine. We've had a quiet day, too. I'll see if Mom and Dad will let me off early. We can surprise Vi," Lewis said with a grin.  
  
[Oh yeah... she had a day off today, right?]  
  
Lewis nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I'll be right back." Arthur shot Lewis a thumbs up in reply, then leaned back in his seat to wait.  
  
A few minutes later, Lewis was back, his apron gone. "Mom said to go on home," he said with a grin, offering Arthur a hand up. Arthur grinned back, accepting the hand up and then not letting go of Lewis' hand as they started to head out.  
  
"V-vi's gonna b-b-be sur-surprised," Arthur said quietly, leaning into Lewis so that only the taller man would hear his whisper-soft voice. Lewis chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, she definitely is."  


\----

The ride home was quick, despite their place being on the opposite side of town, and soon enough, Arthur and Lewis were headed into the house they shared with Vivi and Mystery. "Vi? We're home!" Lewis called, but got no response. Well, at least not from Vivi. Mystery came trotting into the front hall, looking far too amused for an ancient Japanese fox spirit.  
  
"Well, you two certainly are home early. What's the occasion?" Mystery asked.  
  
[Quiet workdays and nice family members who let us off early?] Arthur replied.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much that. Where's Vi?" Lewis asked.  
  
"Taking a nap. You boys miiiiight want a camera," Mystery said, snickering quietly. Arthur and Lewis looked at each other, then Arthur fished out his phone and opened his camera app. If Mystery was suggesting having a camera ready... well, Arthur wasn't going to ignore that advice.  
  
Together, the three of them snuck into the living room... were Vivi was asleep on the sofa, her feet barely poking out from a familiar pink sweater. It was massively oversized on her, the collar sitting half-off her shoulder revealing what had to be one of Arthur's sweaters under it. The two men blinked, then Arthur was snapping photos faster than Lewis could blink again. Not that Lewis blamed the blond. Vivi looked absolutely adorable.  
  
The sound of the camera caused Vivi to stir and she mumbled sleepily before opening her eyes... only to freeze at seeing Arthur and Lewis there. Arthur grinned impishly, snapping another photo. "Uhhh... hi?" Vivi said, wondering why her boys looked so amused. And then she remembered that she'd stolen their sweaters and flushed. "...I can explain?"  
  
"No need, Vi. I don't mind, and it seems Arthur's fine with it, too," Lewis said, chuckling before reaching down and scooping Vivi up. "Have a good nap?" Vivi, feeling embarrassed at having been caught indulging in her guilty pleasure, nodded. "Good. You wanna go out for dinner tonight? Art and I both got off early. Perhaps we can make a date night out of it?" Lewis suggested, glancing between Arthur and Vivi.  
  
[Sounds like a great idea to me! We haven't been on a date in ages!] Arthur signed enthusiastically.  
  
"That does sound really nice. Just, uh... let me go get changed first?" Vivi agreed, relaxing at the fact that her boys really didn't care about the sweater thing.  
  
Lewis nodded, letting Vivi up. "Wear something nice? It's still super early, so we can head to the next town over," he said.  
  
"Oh! That sounds like a great idea!" Vivi chirped, standing and laughing happily as she darted off to go get changed, listening as the guys followed behind her, probably to get changed, too. She couldn't wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vivi loves date nights. Sure, she gets her boys all to herself most nights anyway, but it's different when they go out.
> 
> ...I'm probably gonna play with non-verbal Arthur again sometime this month and really explore the concept.


	12. Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur & everyone  
> Tags: ~8 years pre-canon. ~Arthur-centric. ~Kinda introspective. ~14-year-old Arthur musing on his favourite people (and dog). ~Kid's wicked smart. ~Fluff.
> 
> Ties in with 'Acquaintance' in that this is two years post. Arthur's got his best friends now.

Before coming to Tempo to live with his uncle, Arthur had never had friends. He'd grown up basically hidden in his parents' house. Sure, he'd had lots of toys and a small playground in his backyard, and he'd always had plenty of things to do, but he'd never had anyone to do them with. His parents never had time for him, leaving it up to the nanny to homeschool him, and even she'd been distant. He never had any sort of connection to the woman he'd spent more time with than his parents.  
  
So when he came to Tempo and met first Vivi, then Lewis and Mystery, it had been quite the shock. Suddenly, he had people around his own age that wanted to be close to him. Vivi's talking dog also seemed to love him and for a long time, he just couldn't figure out why. Even two years later, so far into his friendship with them that he couldn't imagine letting them go now, he still had no idea what they saw in him. He was shy and sometimes had a hard time talking, but it didn't seem to matter to them. Vivi filled the room with her energy, engaging him and being patient when he got anxious. Lewis was quiet, too, but not like Arthur. Instead, he was confident and bright, supporting Arthur and getting Vivi to tone it down when Arthur started getting overwhelmed.  
  
Mystery was much the same as Lewis, but for the blond, the dog was the easiest to deal with. When things got too much for him to be comfortable with interacting with people, Mystery would calmly ask Arthur to come throw a ball for him. The first few times, Vivi and Lewis had tried to come with them, but Mystery had just shaken his head and the other two kids let Mystery and Arthur go alone.  
  
For the first year, Arthur would have said that Mystery was his best friend. Vivi even sometimes sent Mystery home with Arthur, when it was obvious he was especially anxious. But over time, Arthur grew more and more attached to Vivi and Lewis, and now, at 14, the blond could safely say that the other two humans of the group were just as good of friends as Mystery was. He didn't feel anxious around them anymore, and Vivi, over the two years that they'd now known each other, had 'learned Arthur-ese', as she jokingly called it. She could read his own moods better than Arthur himself could sometimes. She knew exactly when it was safe to let herself go full energy with him and when it was better to take the calm approach. She also knew when Arthur was peopled out entirely and would just send him home with Mystery.  
  
But the biggest thing he could appreciate her for was, no matter what, she never let him be alone. Mystery was now _their_ dog, according to her. He spent most nights with Arthur these days, whether it was at his place or at Vivi's or Lewis' for a sleepover. At first, Uncle Lance had been sceptical, but he'd seen just how much Mystery helped Arthur when his anxiety was getting the best of him, so he'd accepted that the dog lived there part-time and Arthur thought Mystery might be getting a bit fat from all the treats his uncle snuck the dog. When he'd mentioned it to Vivi and Lewis, Vivi had just laughed and teased Mystery about it.  
  
Overall, Arthur was the happiest he'd ever been in his entire life. He felt like Uncle Lance, Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery would always be there for him and he loved them all so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...poor kid has nooooo idea what's in his future...


	13. Content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Mystery & his humans/ghosts  
> Tags: ~Setting is a loooooong time in the future. ~Mystery takes care of his kits long after they are all dead. ~Angst and Fluff.

The kitsune who'd once-upon-a-time gone by the name Mystery sat on a mountain ridge in a land far removed from his homeland. How long had it been now since he'd been released from his long time bond with the Yukino bloodline? Too long to count now. With the death of the last of the Yukino line, the magic that bound him was severed... and yet. He glanced down at the three heart-shaped talismans dangling from a chain that had replaced his collar. None of them were in their original shape, but it mattered not. The shape was less important than what they carried. Cool fingers carded through the fur on his head, scratching just right behind his ear. **"What's on your mind, 'Stree?"**  
  
<"Nothing important, starshine,"> the kitsune replied, attention turning from the talismans to the three spectral forms that hovered around him, barely tangible to even him now. The magenta one was the most faded, though he hovered close to the yellow one, as protective as a shadow could be. The kitsune was immortal, but these three... Their spirits had endured so long... And yet...  
  
The magenta shade chuckled. ~~"Bullshit, Mist,"~~ he said, voice fainter than the kitsune had ever heard it. The yellow spirit flinched, reaching back for the shade who grasped his hand. ~~"It's okay, Artie. I'm still here. Not going anywhere."~~  
  
The yellow spirit, who'd once been known as Arthur Kingsmen whined lowly. He hadn't spoken in such a long, long time that it worried the kitsune. It worried his starshine and the shade, too. The kitsune couldn't help but wonder if Arthur would fade first after all, despite his mortal self dying years after the magenta shade.  
  
The shade had once had a name, but it had long ago slipped from his memory, though the names of his loved ones held strong. How could they not when they were all (not all. only two became ghosts for him) right there within arm's reach at all times? Sweet Artie who was falling apart at the seams, even seeming to have forgotten how to talk. He communicated purely with emotion and whatever sounds he could manage to let loose. Most were like that sad, desperate whine. The shade wanted his loves happy. Happy always. But he was fading and Artie wouldn't be far behind him. Vivi might last out another hundred years for Mist's sake, but she too would be lost. It was only a matter of time. Mist had said so many times that they needed to move on, that they were wearing thin and the kitsune's magic could only keep it from happening for so long.  
  
But the shade didn't want to leave Artie and Vivi alone. _"Lewis..."_ The shade, along with Mist and Vivi jerked, surprised. Oh yeah... that was his name. Lewis. The shade's anchor, dangling from the kitsune's neck, pulsed and the kitsune gasped. _"Lew... fading."_  
  
<"Yes, he is,"> the kitsune sighed. The yellow spirit shook his head, a frustrated look on his hazy face.  
  
_"No."_  
  
**"Artie?"**  
  
_"Said. No."_ The shade ('Lewis', he reminded himself again) gasped as Arthur's hand tightened around his and a shock ran through him. His features dehazed a little, coming into line with the yellow spirit's. The kitsune froze a moment, then laughed, flopping onto his belly.  
  
<"You lot are so stubborn. What did I ever do to have such wonderful companions?"> the kitsune asked, still chuckling aloud. For at least a little longer, he could be content with the situation. Arthur wasn't nearly as in danger of fading as the kitsune had thought, and now Lewis wasn't either. Still, Arthur's strength would run out. Eventually, he'd have to insist that his companions move on... but for now... this was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lewis' words are ~~striked out~~ due to how faded he is. Vivi's are **bolded** because she's the strongest of the three. Mystery has all three anchors so he can lend them his strength and yeah, he feels a little selfish for keeping his kits, but they begged him to stay. He's important to them and they don't want him to be lonely.
> 
> Arthur has a neat little power and Mystery hasn't yet realized what he's up to. Probably won't until Vivi starts fading and Arthur's jolting her back into line with _him_. He's basically a rechargeable battery. He's got enough backup (that he's been slowly leeching off Mystery or ganking from storms) stored in his anchor that he can give himself or his friends a boost. He had kinda spaced out for a long time, though, so he hadn't noticed just how bad Lewis had gotten until Mystery confirmed his fears. When Mystery figures out what Arthur's been up to, he insists Arthur take a full charge for all three of them. It eats up enough power that Mystery temporarily loses two tails, but he doesn't mind. He'll get them back eventually and his friends are good for another few centuries before they need to repeat the process. Mystery stops trying to get them to move on once he realizes his kits are safe completely safe thanks to Arthur's little trick... because they really, REALLY don't want to go and leave him all alone.


	14. Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Friendships everywhere  
> Tags: ~Fantasy AU. ~Arthur is human but cursed with the worst possible luck. ~Literal curse. ~Vivi and Lewis are not human. ~Vi is attracted by Arthur's bad luck curse and drags Lew and Mystery along for the ride.

Fate was not Arthur Kingsmen's friend. If he left anything up to chance, things blew up in his face in a spectacular way and thus he had to plan things out meticulously, well in advance.  
  
Of course, his luck was always bad and things often went off the rails no matter how well he planned... so when the fates decided to plant Lewis Pepper, Vivian Yukino, and their kitsune friend, Mystery on his path, he was justifiably wary. Vivian (or Vivi, as she preferred to be called) was a cheerful ice sprite that seemed endlessly eager. Lewis looked human but felt just as Other as Vivi and Mystery, but Arthur couldn't place it.  
  
And Arthur had been stuck on the road with the trio. Vivian talked like she didn't know how to stop and Arthur let her. Mystery seemed to like him for some odd reason, but Arthur still shied away from the fox.  
  
And then disaster struck. Or so Arthur would have liked to say. Ice and two types of fire sprung up around him, shielding him from danger and it was all over before he could even begin to process it all. Lewis had whistled, long and low. He'd seemed absolutely amazed in a rather aghast way. Arthur couldn't blame him.  
  
But they'd stuck with him. For the first time in his life, something that had been total chance had turned out to be something good. He couldn't help but wonder when the other shoe would drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now I think I'm just exploring various scenarios via shorts. I might expand on them later on down the road.
> 
> Here's the break down for this one;  
> 1\. Arthur's parents angered a fae creature when he was a baby. In retaliation, it cursed the child to have terrible luck.  
> 2\. Vivi is an Ice Sprite who was blessed with insane luck (which, when she finds Arthur, is balanced out by Arthur's bad luck curse). She looks mostly human at a glance, but her face has an other-worldly quality to it and her skin has the appearance of frosted, opaque ice.  
> 3\. Lewis was human, but at some point was injured badly (like, fatally so). Mystery took pity on him and shared his blood to save him. This changed Lewis and now he has some kitsune magic. Limited shape-changing and fire magic.  
> 4\. Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery decide to try and help Arthur with his curse and eventually, they find the fae that cursed him in the first place and trick it into undoing the curse.


	15. Shy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis/Vivi, Lewis and Arthur, Vivi and Arthur  
> Tags: ~Pre-canon. ~Vivi being the nervous, shy one for once. ~She hates it.
> 
> A bit of a mix up from my usual with who meets who first. In this case, Arthur and Vivi are childhood friends while Lewis comes later. Arthur's the first to befriend Lewis and then introduces his two friends. This Arthur also doesn't stutter unless he's feeling really anxious. ~~Paranormal shit makes him stutter like nothing else. He's a biiiiiiit of a scaredy-cat, as per canon.~~

Vivi had never been shy a day in her life. Before she'd met Lewis, she couldn't even imagine what being shy felt like. Sure, she'd seen it in Arthur who'd been shy for most of their childhood (though he had grown more confident over the years), but she'd never really _understood_ it.  
  
Now, though... Now she thought she got it and it sucked. Lewis made her heart flutter in her chest and she actually got nervous around him. Arthur had even noticed her faltering and hadn't that been embarrassing. The jerk had waggled his brows at her and shot her a little smirk the moment Lewis' back was turned. It wasn't fair that Arthur knew all her weaknesses.  
  
And to make it all worse, he'd gone and arranged a (not-)date for her with the much taller and broader guy.  


\----

To say that Lewis was nervous was putting it lightly. Arthur was sitting on his bed behind him, grinning. "Relax, Lew. Vi's not gonna care what you wear," Arthur said with a chuckle, leaning back on his hands. He looked like he was enjoying himself way too much.  
  
"I'm not even sure this is a good idea. We barely know each other..." Lewis said with a sigh, tossing aside a blue shirt and just going with his default purple.  
  
"Look, you like her, she likes you, and this isn't even a real date anyway. Just a chance to get to know each other and see if it could work, right?" the blond asked, still grinning teasingly. "But seriously, you've been mooning over her for a year now and I've _never_ , in all the years I've known her, seen Vi get shy before, so obviously you've had an effect on her. It'll be fine. Besides, I'm still driving you two around, so if things aren't going well, you two can just call it and we can all hang out instead."  
  
"Well... heh, I guess..." Lewis shifted in his seat, finally finished dressing.  
  
"Ready to go? We're gonna be late if we don't hurry," Arthur said, smirking. Lewis looked at his watch and then back at Arthur with a look of mild panic.  
  
"Oh shoot, we need to hurry!" Lewis yelped, rushing for the door to his room. Arthur followed at a much more relaxed pace, though still going faster than normal. Didn't want to make Vivi wait for her not-date, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The (not-)date went great. Arthur drove them to dinner, waited in his van and tinkered with a project for almost two hours, then got to watch them come out with big grins, chatting happily. This Arthur only loves his friends as friends. Vivi and Lewis are more like siblings to him, so he's happy to encourage their relationship.


	16. Shiver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Hinted Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Pre-canon. ~Arthur is a medium. ~Partly non-verbal Arthur. ~Possession as a means of communication. ~Being possessed is physically exhausting. ~Especially when the ghost is an over-emotional one.

Arthur had a love/hate relationship with his job. Well, the one he did with his friends, anyway. Working with Uncle Lance was a joy. He loved working with machines and electronics and any chance to dig into the guts of a machine or vehicle was one he'd take at a moment's notice. And yeah, that was part of his job as a member of the Mystery Skulls Paranormal Investigations (or just MSPI) crew and he loved that part. He loved the work of maintaining the van and their equipment.  
  
The part he hated was the part he was engaged in now. Early on in MSPI's career, Vivi had discovered that Arthur was _sensitive_ to the paranormal... though that was putting it lightly. Arthur was a gifted medium. Perhaps a little _too_ gifted, if another medium they'd met was to be believed. Arthur believed them. Still, it made it so very easy to help ghosts move on if they could communicate easily with the whole crew. Arthur shivered harshly as the feeling of something Other sunk into him. It was a weak ghost and he could shake them easily if he wanted to, but it was better to just get it over with.  
  
He let them take point, stepping back and letting himself drift as Vivi and Lewis talked with the ghost.  


\----

When he came back to himself, he was trembling with tears still falling. Obviously, the conversation had been intense and while his mind was fine, if incredibly uncomfortable, his body had been put through the emotional wringer. He felt exhausted and he hadn't even done anything. Thankfully Lewis and Vivi were there, both of them supporting him with arms wrapped around him.  
  
"Back with us yet, Art?" Lewis asked quietly. Arthur nodded, leaning a bit more against Lewis' shoulder. He was too tired to even try talking and the effort to raise his hands and sign felt like it would be too much, too. "Tired?" Another nod. "Want to get to our room now?" A third nod. "Okay, let's go." Lewis scooped Arthur up and the blond sighed, nuzzling Lewis' shoulder.  
  
"I'll start collecting the equipment. Get Artie to bed and then come help me?" Vivi asked. Lewis made an affirmative sound and then started walking. Arthur was fast asleep before they were even halfway to their room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the thing with The Cave, Arthur is more terrified of being possessed than he is of Mystery and he has no idea why. Sure, it sucked being possessed and he kinda hated it before but would do it for any ghost that really wanted help but had trouble communicating with the living (Arthur could hear them but it was more like... static and impressions? Easier to work with letting them use his body to get the help they needed) but after Lewis went missing he was suddenly so terrified of it that the first time he and Vivi tried a session, he had a nasty panic attack and automatically booted them straight out. Vivi's reaction was, "What the hell, Arthur, why would you-... wait, are you okay? Artie?!" They never tried another possession again. And then they figure out why when scary, vengeful mansion ghost (hi, Lewis) shows up and starts trying to murder Arthur. _Whoops._


	17. Overcast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur & Lewis (might be Lewthur?)  
> Tags: ~Post canon. ~Arthur and Lewis both have issues with bad weather. ~Nebulous relationship statuses. ~The crew all live together. ~Respecting bounderies.

Arthur wasn't normally one to hate the weather. Rain was something to treasure in his quiet desert town and years ago, Arthur would have grabbed a raincoat and boots and gone out walking in it.  
  
Now, though... The rain sent phantom pains through his arm. The steady, musical drum on his roof made him want to scream as his shoulder ached terribly where his arm had been torn off. He let out a quiet sob, curling up on his bed and clutching at the covered port where his arm attached, currently removed and sitting on it's stand across the room. Days like this when it was stormy, the arm was simply too heavy (both physically and mentally).  


\----

Since he'd died, Lewis had come to dislike rain. Something about being a fire-based spirit, Mystery had said when he brought it up after rejoining his friends. But Lewis wasn't the only one. Arthur tried to pretend he was okay, but he almost seemed to be a living barometer. If it was going to storm, Arthur became a wreck. If he came to eat at all, it would be without his prosthetic and he'd barely manage to get anything down before giving up and putting his plate in the fridge. When Lewis 'woke' to a nasty storm that day, he cringed. Arthur wouldn't be eating breakfast, most likely... but he'd go check on his best friend before going to wake Vivi, anyway.  
  
Knock knock. No answer. Lewis sighed, sticking his head through the door. "Art? Are you okay?" he asked before fully registering the scene before him. No, Arthur was most definitely not okay. This storm was a bad one and Arthur's whole body was ridged with pain. "...shit." Lewis drifted the rest of the way through the door and over to the bed. He hoped this was one of the days he could help. Slowly, he raised his own temperature before wrapping Arthur in a bubble of warmth. He couldn't directly touch his friend without hurting him more at this point, but nine times out of ten, the heat tended to help Arthur relax.  
  
Thankfully, today was not that one time where it just made things worse. The blond slowly uncoiled, his remaining hand releasing his shoulder and dropping to the bed as his breathing evened out to something less pained and panicked. It wasn't perfect, but it was an improvement. "L-lew...?" Arthur breathed.  
  
"I'm here. Can I touch you, Arthur?" Lewis asked.  
  
Arthur cracked open an eye, a little smile tugging at his lips as he nodded. "Please." Lewis smiled, picking Arthur up and cradling the living man in his arms. He couldn't relieve Arthur's pain completely, but like this, it was a little better. Arthur curled in close, his left side (where there wasn't an arm to get in the way) pressed to Lewis' broad chest. "Th-thank you," Arthur whispered, letting his eyes close.  
  
"You're welcome," Lewis replied, leaning back against Arthur's headboard as the blond dozed off. Vivi and Mystery wouldn't be getting a homecooked breakfast that morning, but they'd understand.


	18. Gloves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis & Vivi, one-sided Lewis/Vivi, Lewis & Arthur, one-sided Arthur/Lewis  
> Tags: ~Post canon. ~Vivi has been keeping her distance (emotionally) from Lewis. ~Lewis still loves Vivi (but he also loves Arthur, too). ~Arthur is pining for Lewis.

Vivi was fascinated with something again. Lewis had gotten used to this, honestly. Bit by bit, she'd been exploring and testing things when it came to him, completely due to him being a ghost. Lewis would let his ex-girlfriend ~~ex because she still couldn't remember him, wasn't ready to trust him with helping her get her memories back after all he'd done concerning his quest for revenge against Arthur~~ do what she liked and she'd get her answers and leave, satisfied. Today, she had come over with that curious light in her big blue eyes again and he chuckled. "What would you like to know this time, Vivi?" he asked her. She didn't even look embarrassed at him knowing she hadn't just come to visit for the sake of visiting a friend.  
  
"Your gloves. Are they gloves? Or are they your hands themselves? What's that plating on the backs? Looks like stylized bone? But maybe metal?" Vivi spat out all in a rush. Lewis glanced down at his hands. Huh, he'd never thought about that. Were they gloves? If they were gloves, it would stand to reason that he could take them off, right? He could with the rest of his clothing, as they'd found in earlier experiments, but he'd never tried with the gloves.  
  
"Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out..." He held out a hand to Vivi, letting her examine it. Tap tap. The plates sounded more like bone than metal and she jotted this down in her notebook. It didn't really answer what the plating _actually_ was, but they could rule out metal, anyway.  
  
"Okay, now try to take the gloves off?" Vivi asked. If the plating was bone, it would remain attached to his hands, annoyingly enough. Lewis concentrated and after a moment, there was a flash of fire and the gloves were gone leaving bare hands behind. No plating. That was kind of a relief. "So, not metal and not bone. Also, the gloves are completely removable." Vivi grinned, taking Lewis' bare hand. "You should show Artie. He always liked your han-. Oh. Huh." Vivi and Lewis both blinked. That happened sometimes where Vivi would suddenly get a snippet back all of a sudden. Something about having Lewis hanging around seemed to jar Vivi's memories, though it was slower than manually removing the block.  
  
...probably better for her mind if the block crumbled on its own, anyway. Certainly, he wanted her to remember him, but at the same time, he was worried that even if she did, she'd never trust him again. It was vexing, but he couldn't say he didn't deserve it. What was more vexing was that _Arthur_ was the one who'd easily come to trust him again. The person he deserved it least from would grin up at him like nothing had changed at all ~~except for that pained, mournful look that he got in his eyes sometimes~~ and invite him to hang out. Lewis was the person Arthur turned to when he was scared, too. Yeah, it'd been like that before The Cave, but now Lewis was one of the things Arthur should have been scared _of_... but he trusted Lewis to protect him if anything should happen.  
  
Well, Lewis wouldn't betray that trust again. He'd stick annoyingly close to Arthur and make sure nothing like The Cave could ever happen again. Arthur seemed to welcome it.  
  
"Lewis? Earth to Lewis!" Vivi sounded exasperated, like she'd been trying to get his attention for a little bit. He blinked slowly at her.  
  
"Ah... sorry... got lost in my head for a minute there," Lewis said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"It's fine. I was saying you can put your gloves back on now. I'm gonna head off," Vivi replied, giving him the same funny look she did every time he spaced out... which was an annoyingly frequent event since he'd become a ghost.  
  
"Okay. Thank you for coming to see me, Vivi. Shall I walk you to your car?" the ghost asked.  
  
Vivi shook her head. "No need. I think Arthur's coming soon. Might already be here, even and I'd love to stay and hang out, but I have a staff meeting at the book store this evening." She stood up, then fixed Lewis with a hard stare. "Just remember, Pepper... if you harm a hair on his head, I won't hesitate to exorcise your ghostly ass from existence." And then she was gone, letting the threat hang in the air. It wasn't a needed threat anymore but she made it literally every time she was leaving Arthur alone with Lewis. It hurt just as much every other time and he hunched in on himself. His anchor felt like it was going to crack again.  


\----

"Lew!" Arthur's hands were on his shoulders, bracing him. Lewis blinked. When had Arthur gotten there? "Sh-shit, your anchor... did Vivi threaten you again?" the blond asked with a sigh, one hand leaving Lewis' shoulder to gently cup the golden (more grey than gold at that moment, sadly) locket. "I keep telling her she doesn't need to do that, that you won't hurt me... honestly, I think she's more mad at herself than you now. Because she didn't protect me back then. Like she really had a choice in the matter, what with that crazy tree lady trying to eat Mystery and-... Lew? Oh man, hey, it's okay, big guy... I'll talk to her again, okay? That shit isn't okay. You're our friend. Friends don't threaten each other every other day."  
  
"It's- it's not that," Lewis managed, choked up. "Why, Arthur? Why do you still-... I almost killed you and you didn't deserve that, but-... I thought you'd betrayed me when I should have known better. That you'd never hurt me or Vivi under your own power..."  
  
"...oh. That." Arthur flushed, looking away. "It's because... you're still Lewis. You were angry and... y'know I've had a _lot_ of experience with angry ghosts, right? Not just you. Sure, it's scary as all hell when that anger is directed at you, but... ghosts are creatures of pure emotion and whatever they were feeling when they died tends to reflect in how they act after they died. Unless, of course, they have evidence that what they are feeling is _wrong_. What evidence did you have, Lew? Until you noticed my arm, there was nothing to break that perspective you had, when the last thing you saw before dying was-... that." The blond paused, glancing down at his metal arm. "You had no evidence to say I wasn't responsible. All you had was that image of betrayal and your rage... and that rage was probably what tethered you to this world, so... I'm kinda glad, to be honest. If you weren't here, I'd probably still be hunting for you even now."  
  
"I... I never thought of it that way. It didn't even occur to me. That's why you trust me now?"  
  
"Yeah. We all know what really happened now, so there's pretty much zero chance of you flipping on me again. I'm... honestly more worried about what Vivi's been doing to you," Arthur's attention shifted to the cracked anchor that he was only barely not touching. "May I?" He always asked, even when Lewis needed help, he never touched the locket without consent since he'd realized what it actually was. Lewis appreciated it.  
  
"You don't need to... but you can if you want," Lewis replied, then sighed as Arthur smiled and closed the distance. Arthur's right hand closed around the locket and Lewis relaxed, humming as the crack sealed once again. It always hurt when it was damaged. But then Arthur slumped forward, his hand slipping from Lewis anchor and the ghost was quick to catch him with a surprised yelp. "Art?!"  
  
"Nn... s-sorry... I couldn't..." Arthur's words were sluggish, his eyes already closed. Lewis muttered a curse as he realized that Arthur really hadn't had the energy to spare. He must have been running on fumes to get over here.  
  
"Go to sleep, Arthur. I'll keep you safe, I promise." As long as Lewis was still there, he'd spend every last moment of his afterlife making things up to Arthur. He swore it, even if Arthur didn't think he needed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Vivi's being rather cruel to Lewis, but she only has very tiny fragments of her memories and in her perspective, Lewis tried to murder her best friend and ran the van off the road with all of them inside it. They could have all died and she's salty as hell about it. It hasn't occurred to her that if she manages to utterly break Lewis down and he vanishes that it'll have lasting repercussions on Arthur. She'll feel bad about it once she realizes just how attached Arthur is to Lewis.
> 
> ~~When she realizes Arthur is pining for the ghost, she's gonna be shocked and a little horrified that she threatened to exorcise the guy Artie likes so many times, then she's gonna be nicer to Lew. Easing off on the salt also helps her get her memories back a little faster because she's not holding the ghost at arm's length anymore. By the time she gets her memories back enough to realize that she'd loved Lewis at one point, there's too much bad stuff between them and she encourages the boys to get together.~~


	19. Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur & Lewis & Vivi, maybe Lewis/Vivi  
> Tags: ~No ??? in The Cave AU. ~Mostly mute Arthur. ~Is Mystery a smart dog or a disguised kitsune? I guess we'll never know. ~Probably no real paranormal shit AU. ~Does this count as Hurt/comfort?

"Hey, check out this view!" Lewis called back, excited. Arthur looked up from where he was examining a pretty, green-tinged crystalline formation protruding from one wall to see Lewis standing far to close to the edge of a drop-off. The numerous stalactites hanging from the top of the cavern told Arthur that there was probably a fair few stalagmites on the cave floor, too. A fall from there would most likely be deadly. The blond swallowed heavily, then began to powerwalk over, as Lewis wasn't looking at him so he couldn't speak with his hands. And to make it worse, today was one of those days that his voice had crapped out on him, leaving him only able to manage raspy whispers and it was unlikely that Lewis would hear him over the sound of rushing water that echoed from somewhere else in the cavern.  
  
Arthur was almost there when he saw it happening. The ground under Lewis' feet was starting to crack. "Lew-," the mechanic tried, raising his voice to the point where it cracked and broke halfway through trying to shout his best friend's name. Lewis reacted, turning enough that Arthur's fingers curled into the front of the purple-haired man's sweater instead of the back. Still, it was something and Arthur threw his weight back, trying to pull Lewis away from the edge, but it was already too late. Both of them screamed as Lewis fell back over the edge, taking Arthur with him due to the difference in size and weight and the fact that Arthur hadn't let go.  
  
They had just enough time for Lewis to protectively wrap his arms around Arthur before they hit the ground, somehow landing between two huge spikes. Lewis groaned in pain, his arms falling away from Arthur's shivering form. "Are-are you okay?" the bigger man asked, words slurring slightly. Arthur, his voice likely totally gone for the time being, spelled out Y E A H then Y O U ? on Lewis' shoulder, not daring to move for fear of hurting Lewis more than he likely already was. "Uh... probably not? My head and back hurt..." Lewis hissed, making Arthur flinch.  
  
S T A Y A W A K E, Arthur wrote, lifting his head enough to examine their predicament only to notice Vivi and Mystery enter the cavern, barely visible through the mist and the gaps in the stone spires around them. She likely wouldn't spot them without help. C A L L V I V I.  
  
"Vivi?" Lewis asked, then clued in and raised his voice. "Vivi!" he yelled, then groaned as the action made his head hurt.  
  
"Lew?!" Vivi's voice echoed back. "Where are you?"  
  
"We fell! We're in the stalagmites!" Lewis called back, still loud enough to be heard, but much quieter. Vivi cursed loudly, then Arthur heard her begin to scramble over and around the tightly clustered spires of rock. Lewis, in a moment of genius, began singing to help her find them. Soon enough, she was leaning between two huge spikes, staring wide-eyed at them.  
  
"Holy shit, a few inches over in any direction and you two would be dead..." she breathed, horrified.  
  
Arthur raised one hand and signed, ['L E W I S H U R T'] and then, ['H E L P M E U P P L E A S E']. Vivi nodded and wedged herself between the spikes before bodily hauling Arthur off of Lewis, who made a relieved sound as the added weight was removed. Arthur clung to one to the stalagmites, assisting Vivi in getting him put back on his feet, then signed, ["I'll stay with Lewis. Can you get outside and phone for help?"]  
  
"We're in a complete dead zone, Artie..." Vivi replied, glancing from Arthur to Lewis, who looked mostly okay, but was clearly in pain and looked like he probably hit his head pretty hard.  
  
["Take the van. We fell a pretty good distance and I highly doubt trying to move Lewis on our own is a good idea at this point,"] Arthur replied, hands flying as he 'spoke'. Once he was done, he fished his copy of the van keys out of his pocket and shoved them into Vivi's hands. She wasn't the best driver in the world and normally Arthur wouldn't trust the blunette with his baby, but they had zero other options at that moment. Arthur couldn't speak and Lewis needed help ASAP. Vivi eyed the keys in her hand in shock for a moment before nodding sharply.  
  
"I'll be back soon. Mystery, stay with the boys, okay?" Vivi said. The dog barked once and it was only then that Arthur realized that Mystery had followed Vivi.  
  
Once she'd scrambled away, Arthur turned back to Lewis, frowning. He'd been quiet during that whole exchange. ["Lewis?"] No response. Arthur cleared his throat, then tried again when Lewis blinked up at him.  
  
"...I can't really see your hands too well, Art... sorry..." Lewis said slowly, frowning. Arthur mouthed 'Shit,' then fished out his phone. Thankfully, it hadn't been damaged in the fall and he opened his text-to-speech app.  
  
("You need to stay awake, Lewis. Talk to me. And, uh... try not to move much?") Lewis snorted, then wince.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, then glared at Arthur. "How about that stupid stunt you pulled up there? Why'd you try and grab me? I was the one who was stupid enough to stand so close to the ledge, so I should have been the only one who fell. And yet here we are, both of us in a sea of spikes and we'd both be dead if we hadn't gotten stupidly lucky!" Each word caused Arthur to flinch and hunch more and more into himself, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.  
  
His hands were shaking as he typed out a response and then hit play. ("I didn't exactly have time to think before reacting! I saw the ledge cracking and I had hoped I could overbalance you and make you fall towards me. I was wrong and I know that, but I couldn't just... let you fall without TRYING to save you!")  
  
Lewis sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back at Arthur. "Heh... I guess we're both idiots then," he said softly. "I guess it doesn't matter that much. We both survived and I managed to keep you from getting hurt in the fall. Who knows, maybe you trying to rescue me kept us both from getting spiked," he said, laughing slightly then hissing in pain. "Shit... y'know, maybe instead of talking, I should just sing until Vi gets back with help. Gimme a poke if I stop?"  
  
("Yeah, maybe that would be a good idea...") Arthur replied, then leaned back against a spike, one hand scratching Mystery behind the ear as he listened to Lewis sing softly.  


\----

It was almost an hour before Vivi returned, leading a bunch of people in safety gear. The sounds of activity nearly drowned out Lewis' continued soft singing, but Arthur was glad for it. Lewis' condition had been declining, the man slurring his words and his voice fading in and out. Mystery was making 'borf' sounds, his head pressed into Arthur's hand in a comforting manner as the rescue team followed the sounds the dog was making.  
  
Arthur was given a cursory check over by one of the crew before being deemed fine for now and shooed off to go wait with Vivi as they worked to free Lewis without hurting him further. Arthur could still hear them asking questions as he scrambled through the rock, but he couldn't hear his friend's answers.  
  
By the time they'd managed to extricate Lewis from the rock, Vivi had counted over twenty different scrapes and forming bruises, including a huge lump on the back of his head, which both of them assumed was likely from a rock hitting him there. "You should ride with Lewis. I'll drive the van to the hospital and meet you two there," Vivi said. Arthur wanted to protest, but his vision was blurry and he knew it was a terrible idea to drive when he likely had a concussion, too.  
  
["Okay, you win. Just... just drive safe, okay? I don't want you joining us in the ER because you're hurt, too,"] Arthur signed, trying for joking but it fell flat. Vivi's lips turned down in a deeper frown instead as she helped Arthur up and escorted him to the waiting ambulance just ahead of the rescue team.  


\----

"Hey guys. You two holding up okay?" Lewis asked, grinning as Arthur and Vivi entered his hospital room. Arthur's left arm was in a sling, what little could be seen of his hand wrapped tightly in bandages. Lewis, on the other hand, had one arm and one leg in casts and a bandage wrapped around his head. His hair looked like it had been clipped, too.  
  
"Arthur sprained his wrist, has a bunch of scrapes and bruises, and a concussion, but otherwise, he's fine. The sling is to stop him from signing because he wouldn't stop, even though it hurt. What about you, though!" Vivi replied, rushing over.  
  
"Surprisingly, what you see is the worst of it. Fractured my arm and leg just bad enough to be stuck in casts for a few weeks. My back aches a bit too, but it's just because of all the bruising from slamming into the stalagmites like that. I did have one cut on my head that was deep enough to need stitches, and yeah, I'm on the concussion boat, too, but it definitely could have been a lot worse. The doctor that treated me said that the paramedics thought that Arthur falling with me probably saved my life. The added weight would have changed the trajectory of my fall. So... looks like I owe you my life, Art," Lewis said, tone amazingly bright for someone who'd nearly fallen to their death.  
  
("That's cool. You can pay me back by staying far away from cliff edges from now on. My heart would thank you for it, anyway.") Arthur typed, making a face at Lewis before sitting down heavily in one of the plastic chairs next to Lewis' bed. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost either of you..." he whispered, quiet, raspy voice trembling.  
  
Vivi sat next to him, wrapping an arm around the blond's shoulders. "Likewise! If you two ever pull a stunt like that again, I'm breaking your instruments!" Vivi threatened. "And if you manage to die from said stupid stunt, I'll find a way to bring you back from the dead, break your instruments, then kill you both again!" she chirped brightly. Both men shuddered, staring at her in horror.  
  
Almost as one, both of them whispered a meek, "...I'll be good..."  
  
"Good! See that you do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Close as in a close call. I decided these poor kids needed a break and a happy ending. lol
> 
> Arthur's voice issues in this one have to do with a botched surgery to remove nodules on his vocal cords when he was younger (probably about 15). It's a relatively harmless medical condition, but it can impact the ability to speak and his were pretty bad. Also, kids are mean and bullied the hell out of him for his voice, so he wanted the problem fixed. So, he basically went in to get things fixed and came out the other side with his voice more trashed than it had been before with little chance of being able to repair the damage done. Whoops.
> 
> ~~Why do I feel the need to be mean to Arthur in one way or another?~~


	20. Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur, Mystery & his kits  
> Tags: ~Post canon. ~You can't tell me these walking disasters don't play together. ~Not when all of them are stated to play on their bio cards. ~Music makes them all happy. ~Jam session.
> 
> Time to give the crew a break.

Arthur's eyes closed as he fell into the rhythm of Lewis' violin and Vivi's guitar. Slowly, soft notes from his synth filtered into the music his friends were producing. It always astonished him how well each of their instruments blended and mixed. Violin, acoustic guitar, and electronic keyboard shouldn't have worked, but they did. It flowed even better when Mystery joined them, the disguised kitsune beating on a taiko drum to the rhythm of the rest of their playing.  
  
It had been so long since they'd done this, what with everything that happened in The Cave, but the music, unplanned and played on the fly, still came to them all easily. The blond was almost giddy with the feeling of euphoric joy at getting to have this again. These simple moments with the people he loved most in the entire world seemed to erase all the stress and anxiety in his life, giving him moments of pure relaxation that stuck with him for days after.  


\----

It had been a long time since Lewis had touched a violin. After he'd been pushed and killed in The Cave, he'd wanted nothing to do with any sort of music, though it'd followed him around in the way his Deadbeats communicated. Deadbeats were strange, taking the music in their host's soul as their voices. Hearing them hurt. He'd never wanted to hear the sound of a violin or a humming voice ever again. It reminded him of all the happy years he'd spent with Arthur, Vivi, and Mystery and that _hurt_.  
  
When he'd learned the truth, finally, that ache had eased off, but there was still so much between them now. Lewis thought he'd never hear the sounds of the four of them playing together ever again. But then Vivi had shoved a violin case into his massive hands and he'd felt his eyes get suspiciously watery as she grinned and told him to follow her. The room where they'd held all their impromptu jam sessions was tidy, Arthur's synth set up to the side where he prefered to sit and play while Mystery's taiko drum was set up in the middle of the room. "Arthur will be home soon with Mystery. Start playing, Lew. He needs this. _You_ need this. Heck, I think we all do, honestly," she'd said, and Lewis had to admit that perhaps she was right.  
  
And so, he'd started playing. Simple, soft notes flowed from the violin in his hands and soon enough, Vivi's guitar joined in. There was no defined melody, the music often discordant and there was definitely a feel of something _lacking_ , but neither of them were ready to stop. Lewis had sunk into the music so completely by the time Arthur and Mystery return that he didn't even notice them enter the music room until he realized that a haunting, electronic melody had worked it's way into the notes of his violin and Vivi's guitar, filling in the worst of the empty spaces. The slow, measured beat of Mystery's drum filled in the last and Lewis grinned, closing his eyes to just let himself feel the music.  


\----

Vivi missed playing music with her boys. Sure, she found joy in other things, but nothing quite compared to the feeling of all of them happy and relaxed after a jam session. The worst part was, until Lewis had helped her fill in the gaps of her memory, she hadn't even remembered. She'd played on her own countless times since The Cave, but Arthur and Mystery, knowing what was missing, had never joined her.  
  
Now, though...  
  
Now, Lewis was here. She grinned to herself as she picked up Lewis' violin, giving the freshly cleaned music room a once over before rushing out to find the ghostly half of her boyfriends. Hopefully, she could convince Lewis to play before Arthur and Mystery got home.  
  
And really, it didn't take much convincing to get Lewis to join her. She knew they weren't meeting as well as they could have been, though. Lewis' violin and her guitar clashed, hitting discordant notes... but she didn't care and neither did Lewis.  
  
She was watching the door as Arthur came to investigate the sounds of music and grinned impishly at him as she motioned with her head at his keyboard. Arthur was hesitant for a moment before she raised her eyebrow, purposely strumming a bad note. He cringed, then sighed and entered, headed straight for his synth.  
  
The sounds of electronic piano were hesitant at first, almost like Arthur had forgotten how to play. His tongue poked out slightly in an adorable show of concentration as he manipulated his prosthetic to hit the keys he wanted, but eventually, Vivi could see the blond relax into it, tension slowly leaving as he filled the room with a sweet, soft melody that just enhanced Lewis' violin.  


\----

Mystery blinked as he stepped into the house with Arthur. There was music coming from further into the house. Oh, how long had it been since he'd last heard his kits play together? Mystery gave Arthur, who was frozen with a look of longing on his face a nudge. They wouldn't be playing if they didn't want him there. Not like that, anyway. Solo and duet sessions had a more structured feeling. No, this was how the four of them played together and thus, the music felt stuttered and incomplete. It was missing two instruments.  
  
Arthur stumbled a little at the nudge, but got the hint and started walking, Mystery right behind him. But the middle child of his kits was still hesitant and silly and Mystery needed to nudge the back of his legs again to get him moving, even with Vivi encouraging him to join them.  
  
And join them he did. The music flowed better with Arthur's synth, but there was still something missing. Mystery grinned to himself as he trotted into the room, headed straight for his drum. The beat echoed straight in his heart and he mirrored it without, filling the last gaps in the music.  


\----

As the music tapered off, Arthur couldn't help it. A laugh bubbled up in his chest and soon giddy, happy laughter was echoing in the room from all of them. He felt better than he had in years and it showed, all the lingering tension torn from him by the music and the feeling of pure joy it left in its wake.  
  
"I missed this."  
  
"Yeah, me too!"  
  
"It has been far too long."  
  
"Indeed, it has. This time next week?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lewis doesn't sing in these sessions because it's all about the sounds of their instruments. Random, free-played music isn't conductive to lyrics, anyway. They have moments when all of them are playing off each other and moments where what they are playing sounds like a discordant mess because they are all playing differently. No one likes listening to them when they do this, but to them, it's their favourite group activity. It's a release of emotional and physical tension they can't get in any other way.
> 
> Also, there's something to be said about Lewis and Vivi's different take on the melody Arthur was playing on his synth. Haha


	21. Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis/Vivi, Lewvithur, Arthur & Mystery, Lewis & Mystery, Vivi & Mystery  
> Tags: ~No Cave AU. ~Arthur is pining for both Lewis and Vivi. ~Mutual pining. ~Unimportant OCs for plot reasons. ~Mystery is a good boy.

Arthur Kingsmen was a person who's luck was either cursed or blessed with very little middle ground between the two. His high school friends had liked to joke that if Arthur won the lotto, he'd have a truck fall out of the sky and land on him. And the sad part was, they probably wouldn't have been wrong.  
  
The biggest example he could think of was that one year in middle school where he'd won a ridiculously expensive electric keyboard from a music contest. A week later, he'd been involved in a car accident that resulted in his left arm being amputated. Of course, he hadn't let that keep him down. The prosthetic he'd wound up with was neat and rather high tech. It was no robot arm (no, that would come later, and by his own hand no less), but it was easy to manipulate and he learned quickly how to handle it.  
  
When he turned 19, only months after the surgery to finish installing the ports for his very experimental robotic arm, he'd gotten a job at his uncle's mechanic shop. This took him from his home town in California to a small town in the south called Tempo. It was tiny and Arthur found himself liking the quiet, but intimate nature of the place.  
  
It was there that he met Vivi Yukino, Lewis Pepper, and their dog (that wasn't actually a dog, they'd revealed months later), Mystery, the people that would become both his biggest blessing and curse in one shot. They were utterly amazing. Vivi was cheerful and bright and never failed to brighten Arthur's day. Lewis was calm, warm, and gentle, bringing a sense of peace to Vivi's energy. They complemented each other perfectly, and for some reason, they wanted him in their lives and that was his blessing.  
  
His curse came about the day he realized that, without noticing, they'd gone from just being amazing people he loved hanging out with, to people he'd _fallen in love with._ They were already dating when he'd met them, but they never made him feel like a third wheel.  
  
(The one time he'd asked, Vivi had laughed and said, "If anything, you'd be the fourth wheel, 'cause Mystery was already the third! I guess that means you complete us, Artie!")  
  
Now, though, he felt awkward and disgusting, but he couldn't bear the thought of splitting from the group. He was selfish, he knew this, but they were important to him. Irreplaceable in his life, even if Vivi dragged him along as their tech guy to paranormal investigations. Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery didn't even care that he was a huge scaredy-cat and Lewis even let him cling when he was stuck going into spooky old buildings, creepy forests, or terrifying caves.  
  
He loved them and that was the most terrifying thing. He knew his luck. Having them in his life at all was a blessing. There was no way he could have this, too. His shoulder throbbed like a warning to not get greedy.  
  
The worst part was that the road trips went from something he enjoyed (even with the paranormal stuff) to his own personal hell after he realized he was in love with his best friends. He rambled when he was nervous and said things he never meant to reveal. How was he supposed to keep the truth from them? How was he supposed to keep from ruining everything in a moment of nervous chatter? It was probably better to just keep his mouth shut unless spoken to, and that's what he decided to do.  


\----

Vivi sighed as she leaning into Lewis' side. The two of them were on their own in the van, Arthur having taken Mystery on a walk to give them a bit of alone time since they'd been on the road for three days without a hotel to stay in. At least, that was what he was claiming, anyway. "I'm worried about him, Lew. He's been acting strange lately..." the blunette admitted.  
  
"Yeah. Do you think he picked up on it?" Lewis replied, tone just as worried as he hugged Vivi closer.  
  
"On what? The fact that we've both got crushes on our super-smart best friend?" Vivi laughed, shaking her head. "I dunno. That boy couldn't social his way out of a paper bag most of the time... but..." she paused, biting her lower lip. There was always the possibility that they'd been a bit too affectionate with him lately and they'd made him uncomfortable.  
  
"You don't think Myst would have blabbed in an attempt to help out, do you?" Lewis asked, shifting around until he could comfortably cuddle Vivi a bit closer.  
  
"'Stree? That secretive fluffball? Lew, he wouldn't tell me what Uncle Lance and Artie fed him for breakfast last week. There's no way," Vivi replied, laughing. However, she quickly sobered up. "That still begs the question of why Arthur's been pulling away lately. Is it us in general? Maybe he got sick of us being mushy?"  
  
"But we're mushy on him, too, and he seemed perfectly happy with it when we started getting more affectionate with him... maybe we went too far?" Lewis groaned, leaning back against the bench seat. "Should we ask him what's wrong?"  
  
"...if Mystery can't wrangle some answers, anyway," Vivi replied with a sly smile.  
  
Lewis blinked, looking back down at Vivi. "You have your talking pet dog spying for you. Why am I not surprised in the slightest."  
  
"Kinda. 'Stree promised to tell us if it's anything bad, but he won't blab Arthur's secrets. Which I can totally get behind. I don't want him to break Artie's trust. I just want to know if it's anything bad and if there's anything we can do," Vivi admitted. Lewis nodded, smiling.  
  
"That was a great idea."  


\----

<"Arthur."> The blond jerked, looking down at the not-dog. They were just walking, circling the Mystery Skulls van at a distance far enough that Arthur could just make out the orange. He'd wanted some space away from Lewis and Vivi for a while, needed to get away before he burst and ruined everything.  
  
"Yeah? What's up, Mystery?" Arthur asked, stopping and sitting down on a handy rock.  
  
The not-dog cocked his head, sitting in front of Arthur. <"I'm not sure any of you have really noticed, seeing as you humans can be slightly dense at times-"> Arthur looked offended, making Mystery huff a laugh, <"-but I've been noticing a distance forming between you, Lewis, and Vivi. Well, Lewis and Vivi are fine, but you've been pulling away. Why?">  
  
Arthur cringed. "You... sure they haven't noticed?" he asked quietly, worried. The kitsune nodded and Arthur relaxed. "Right... I'm sure they would have said something if they had. I guess I'm a better actor than I thought," he said, sounding relieved.  
  
<"Their actions towards you have not changed. And if I didn't keep such careful watch over my humans, I likely wouldn't have noticed your issues either. However, I cannot tell what is wrong. Are you upset at them?">  
  
"What?! No! Never!" Arthur denied immediately, shaking his head. "It's not _them._ It's _me,_ " he admitted, sighing. "I'm the problem and likely always will be..."  
  
<"I doubt that they find you to be a problem.">  
  
"Yeah, well if they find out that I've fucking fallen in love with them, they probably will!" Arthur snapped, then slumped. "Shit, I didn't mean to say that..."  
  
<"I will not spill your secrets, Arthur. You have my word,> Mystery said, putting a paw on Arthur's knee. His back paws were crossed, though Arthur didn't notice. <"How long have you been bottling that up?">  
  
"...months. Maybe longer? I kinda didn't realize I was falling for them until it was really too late, though. It's stupid! They're going to think I'm disgusting and selfish for wanting both of them if they ever find out." Arthur groaned, leaning back on the rock and staring up at the sky. He totally missed the wide doggy grin that crossed Mystery's face for a moment.  
  
<"I wouldn't be so sure of that,"> Mystery replied cryptically, but then refused to answer when Arthur shot up, questions falling faster than Mystery could have hoped to answer, anyway. <"We've been away for a while. Lewis and Vivi will be getting worried,"> the kitsune said, derailing Arthur.  
  
"Oh. Uh... right... of course..." the mechanic muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he stood. "You can go on ahead... let them know I'm okay... I'll be along in a bit..."  
  
<"Very well. However, if you take longer than twenty minutes to return, I shall drag them along to come looking for you."> Arthur laughed, shaking his head and waving Mystery off. Mystery took that as confirmation that he was understood and turned towards the van before taking off in a straight shot.  


\----

"Oh, hey, is that Mystery?" Lewis pointed out the window, squinting at the white form approaching the van.  
  
"Yeah, it is," Vivi said after a moment, then reached to open the door. The fake dog was bounding towards the van, looking for all the world like the cat that got the cream. "Well? Everything okay?" Vivi asked as soon as her youkai friend was back in the van.  
  
<"Things could be better, but they could be worse. However, if you wish to keep him, you might want to consider confessing your feelings to him soon.">  
  
"...you don't mean..." Lewis muttered as Vivi's jaw basically hit the floor.  
  
<"I said nothing of the sort. I broke no promises and how dare you insinuate otherwise?"> Mystery asked with mock indignation before hopping into the back to pretend to sulk over the "slight" against his character. Vivi laughed, bright and delighted.  
  
They needed to make plans, and somehow do it without alerting Arthur that something was off.  


\----

One week after returning to Tempo, Lewis and Vivi were standing in their kitchen, going over the finishing touches. They'd decided to take the bold route and pretty much barrel Arthur over. Giving him time to think and panic would be counter-intuitive to inviting him into their relationship. Thus, they needed to strike fast and hard. Talking about the logistics of being a throuple could come after.  
  
"Welp... this is about as good as it's going to get, I think," Vivi said, hands on her hips. Dinner was almost ready, the table was set, candles lit and overhead lights off to provide mood lighting, both of them were dressed up, and Arthur would be there any minute now.  
  
Just as Lewis was plating up dinner, the doorbell rang. "I got it, babe! You finish up with that," Vivi chirped, grinning as she raced for the door. "Artie! Come in!" she grinning as she gave Arthur an appreciative once over. He cleaned up super nicely. The plan they'd come up with as an excuse for dressing up was pretending they were all supposed to go out to a nicer place in the next town over to celebrate a high-paying job that Vivi had recently got. It gave her an excuse to wear the cute as hell dress Arthur had gotten her for her birthday that year.  
  
"Uh... aren't we supposed to be going...? Where's Lew...?" Arthur asked, nervous.  
  
"Nah, not yet. Lew's finishing getting ready, so just hurry up and get in here, you doofus," Vivi replied, teasingly. That seemed to be the right approach as he relaxed, letting her wave him inside before he made a confused face.  
  
"Has Lewis been cooking? Smells good in here," he said. Vivi didn't answer, grabbing Arthur's hand and heading further into the house. When she looked back, Arthur was staring wide-eyed at their joined hands, his face red. Oh yeah, flustered Artie was adorable.  
  
"Maybe you're smelling lunch?" Vivi finally asked, lying through her teeth for just long enough to make it to the dining room near the back of the house. "Oooooor, maybe I was lying and we aren't going anywhere at all," she concluded, turning to look at Arthur without releasing his hand. "Ta-dah!"  
  
Arthur looked shocked, taking in the scene set up in the dining room. Three chairs around a round table, a vase with red and purple roses sitting in the center, and Lewis standing there, smiling gently as he finished setting the last plate on the table. To finish setting the scene, the room was lit only by candles on every available surface. "Wh-what... is this?" Arthur asked slowly, his face flushed bright red. It looked like he had a fairly good idea already. Still, Lewis answered.  
  
"An invitation, nothing more, nothing less."  
  
"An... invitation?" The blond looked like he was about to fall over, so Vivi guided him to the table. Lewis pulled out Arthur's chair and he sat down heavily. "To... to what, exactly?" A pause, and then, "...are those oysters?"  
  
Lewis and Vivi both laughed, taking their own seats. "Yes, those are oysters," he confirmed, then glanced to Vivi who happily took the floor.  
  
"Our invitation to you, Arthur, is to join our relationship. You know Lewis and I don't keep secrets from each other, right?" Arthur nodded, looking even more shellshocked than before. "Well, when I realized I'd started falling for you, I talked to Lewis about it. Turns out, he was starting to feel the same. We talked about it for over a month before we started testing the waters," Vivi admitted.  
  
"Th-the extra affection was...?" Arthur questioned.  
  
"Yeah. We wanted to see if it felt right. Lewis made sure we didn't go too far, but we wanted to make sure it wasn't just some crush we'd get over before talking to you about it. It felt too right, though," the blunette replied, smiling softly. Lewis nodded.  
  
"We didn't really want to give it up. We didn't want to give _you_ up," Lewis said.  
  
"I... this is... but..." Arthur couldn't seem to manage to get his thoughts in order, so Vivi patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"You don't have to give us an answer now, and if you don't like us that way, that's completely fine. And I certainly won't allow any awkwardness. You're our friend first and foremost, Artie. That we love you has no effect on that," she said, then motioned to the food. "For now, let's eat before the dinner Lew worked so hard on gets cold."  
  
"O-oh! R-right," Arthur stuttered, extremely flustered. Vivi pointedly picked up her fork, scooping up a bite. Lewis followed the example she'd set and soon enough, Arthur hesitantly joined them.  
  
He then blinked, making a sound that would haunt Vivi's dreams for the rest of time before digging in more enthusiastically. Vivi had to bite back her laughter and glanced at Lewis who looked euphoric, watching Arthur enjoy the food. She nudged her boyfriend's leg under the table and he quickly stopped staring at the blond, sheepishly going back to his own dinner. Honestly, these boys.  


\----

Dinner had been one of the best things Arthur had ever tasted. Of course, he'd known Lewis was a fantastic chef, but when he was cooking to impress, his skills ramped up to eleven and it showed. He couldn't even be embarrassed by the sound he'd made after the first bite, it was that good.  
  
The problem was what the dinner had come with and why Lewis had been cooking (and clearly _dressing_ , hot damn) to impress. They loved him? _Him?_ The scrawny mechanic with a robotic arm that they'd only known for a few years? Even though he felt the same, he hadn't been able to tell them that. The... the _date_ (because that's really what it was, despite the fact that they'd called it an invitation) had ended with both of them giving him gentle hugs, but otherwise showing no other affection. He'd sworn he'd felt that love they professed regardless, though. They may as well have kissed him.  
  
He groaned, pulling over, tugging out his phone, and opening a group text to all his old high school friends.  
  
Arthur K (9:41 pm): soooo, you may as well start placing bets on the likelihood of a vehicle falling from the sky to crush me.  
  
Elliot E (9:45 pm): Whooooooa, whhhhhhaaaaaaattt! You actually win the lotto, Mr. Kingsmen?  
  
Eliza E (9:46 pm): No way. Art never bought a lotto ticket in his life. Why would he start now?  
  
Zack C (9:47 pm): Yeah, really. With his luck? lmao  
  
Elliot E (9:48 pm): Well, the joke was that if he ever won the lotto, he'd get crushed by a truck, right?  
  
Anna P (9:48 pm): That is true... So, Art?  
  
Arthur K (9:53 pm): uh... not the lotto, exactly... but with the chances, it may as well have been?  
  
Eliza E (9:53 pm): !?  
  
Anna P (9:54 pm): You can't just say that and not explain, Art. Come on, now. Give up the goods.  
  
Zack C (9:55 pm): Yeah! So, you land a hot girlfriend?  
  
Elliot E (9:55 pm): Or maybe a hot boyfriend?  
  
Arthur K (10:08 pm): um.  
  
Arthur K (10:08 pm): ...sorry, I'm just  
  
Arthur K (10:08 pm): trying to wrap my head around the evening still.  
  
Eliza E (10:10 pm): No way. No fucking way. Are Zack and my idiot brother BOTH right?  
  
Arthur K (10:11 pm): uh... kinda? they, um... they were already dating when I met them. they invited me to an invitation to join their relationship tonight. kinda ambushed me with it. I haven't given them an answer yet.  
  
Anna P (10:12 pm): Holy shit, you lucky bastard.  
  
Anna P (10:12 pm): Oh, wait. Oh no. This is why you brought up the joke. omg  
  
Eliza E (10:14 pm): I can hear Anna and Elliot losing their shit in the living room. Seriously, though, Art? Do you like them back?  
  
Arthur K (10:18 pm): ...yeah.  
  
Zack C (10:19 pm): Then don't be a pussy, man. Tell them how you feel! Also, I'm putting $10 on a dodge falling from the sky.  
  
Arthur blinked, then cracked up, hunching over the steering wheel as he laughed until he was crying. His phone continued to ping with messages from the group chat, then he got a different ping.  
  
Eliza: Hey. You aren't overthinking things, are you? I get that your luck is really wonky sometimes and you're scared of getting hit with some killer bad luck, but... that shit is kinda a self-fulfilling prophecy, y'know? Get it out of your head, Art. Tell them how you feel and just enjoy it, okay? There's nothing wrong with relaxing.  
  
Arthur: you say that, but I still remember winning that keyboard and then losing my arm in a car accident.  
  
Eliza: Yeah? And would you have built that wicked cool robot arm and started the process of revolutionizing prosthetics if that hadn't happened, Arthur? Sure, it sucked, but I think it was really a blessing in disguise. You're a good guy, Arthur. You deserve some happiness in your life. Now get off your phone, get your ass home and to bed, then give them your answer tomorrow! I'll tell the others you've put your phone away so you can drive home safely.  
  
Arthur: yes, mom.  
  
Arthur: ...and thank you. I think I needed to hear that.  
  
Eliza: You're welcome. And hey, it was good to hear from you, Art. Good night. :)  
  
Arthur: yeah, same. night.  
  
Feeling a bit lighter for the conversation with his old friends, Arthur started the van again and started home. Tomorrow, he'd throw caution to the wind and tell Lewis and Vivi how he felt. But for now, he still needed a bit of time to process.  


\----

Laying in bed, Arthur found himself staring at his phone, an empty group message open. It was dumb, but... he sighed and hit send on the message typed in.  
  
Arthur K (12:02 am): I'm a chicken and paranoid about my stupid luck, so I don't know if I'll have the courage to say this face to face, so please forgive me for doing this over text... Vivi, Lewis... I love you, too.  
  
Vivi Y (12:03 am): ! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Lewis P (12:03 am): So, that means...  
  
Arthur K (12:04 am): yeah. I'mma kiss you both tomorrow. probably. good night.  
  
Lewis P (12:05 am): Good. And if you don't, we'll do it for you. Good night, Art. Vivi says good night, too. Love you.  
  
The blond set his phone down, a giddy grin on his face as he relaxed for sleep. Maybe his luck wasn't so cursed after all.  
  
...knock on wood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll likely never see Elliot, Eliza, Zack, or Anna again. They were just to give Artie a kick in the pants for this one, as well as giving him a friend group for before he moved to Tempo. lol


	22. Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis/Arthur, Arthur & Vivi  
> Tags: ~Coffee Shop AU (though in this case, it's a diner). ~Arthur has a crush but is a huge chicken. ~Vivi likes sticking her nose in Arthur's love life. ~Vivi is best wingman. ~Also best childhood best friend. ~Zero Paranormal Shenanigans.
> 
> Sorry this is so late. I was struggling with how to end this one.

Lewis turned at the sound of the door to his parent's diner opening, the bell above it giving a cheerful little jingle. "Hello! Welcome to Pepper Paradiso!" he called in his best Customer Service voice. And then he took in the person standing just inside the door. Lanky, pale skin, spiky blond hair and amber eyes, nervously gripping his left arm. 'Oh, hell, he's cute...' Lewis thought, but shook it off, smiling at the blond. "Feel free to have a seat and I'll be with you in a moment."  
  
"Uh... okay..." the blond said, voice barely audible. Shy, Lewis guessed, letting the new customer find a seat as he took the tray he was holding to another table. Once he was done there, he headed for the blond's table, noting that he'd taken the tiny two-seater booth in the back corner of the diner.  
  
"Hey there. My name's Lewis and I'll be your waiter today. Can I get you anything to drink for now?" Lewis asked.  
  
The blond seemed startled, looking up from the menu with wide eyes. "U-um... water?" he finally replied, phrasing it like a question.  
  
"Got it. I'll go get that for you," Lewis said, then turned to head to the kitchen for water. By the time he returned, the blond was gone. "...huh."  


\----

Lewis soon found this to be a daily occurrence. The blond would show up, ask for water, then be gone before Lewis could return. After the fourth day, Lewis didn't even bother getting the water, simply acting like he was going to. On day five, he watched as the blond looked like he was having an anxiety attack before he rushed from the diner and out to an orange van.  
  
On day fifteen, the cute blond showed up with a blue-haired girl in tow. Or rather, she showed up with the blond in tow, looking exasperated. When Lewis greeted them, she grinned widely, mischief twinkling in her big blue eyes. She worried him, but he still played good employee and told them to grab a seat and that he'd be with them in a moment.  
  
When he got to the table (with waters at the ready to set on the table this time), she was still grinning like a little imp while the blond was sitting in a hunched position, looking like he was trying to make himself as tiny as possible. "Here's some waters for you two for now. Was there anything else you'd like to drink?"  
  
"Oh, yeah! We're also ready to order!" The girl replied, waving her menu a little. "I'd like a cream soda to drink, please. As for food, I'll have the birria de res tacos. Arthur will have whatever is least spicy on the menu," she announced, sounding like she was fighting back laughter.  
  
Arthur, huh? And least spicy? Why was he coming here if he didn't like spicy food? Was he here on a dare? Despite Lewis' confusion, he wrote down the order when Arthur didn't protest. "Alright, then, I'll go get your order in and be right back with your cream soda, miss."  
  
As he was walking away, he thought he heard Arthur hiss out a distressed sounding, "Vivi! Oh my god!"  


\----

Lewis watched the two of them walk out, Arthur clearly nursing a singed mouth (really can't handle spicy food...) and the girl, Vivi looking as cheerful as he'd ever seen an adult woman. They'd both paid their bills and left a pretty nice tip, and Lewis wondered if he'd ever see either of them again.  


\----

"Welcome to Pepper Paradiso!" Lewis called as he heard the bells ring, but he couldn't stop to give a proper greeting. The diner was unusually packed that night due to a convoy of tourists having stopped in for dinner. He'd heard mention of one of the cars breaking down. Sucked for the owners, but apparently great for business at the diner. He felt like a chicken with its head cut off, though. Even the eldest and middle child of his younger sisters were helping out currently by bussing tables and still, he was feeling a tad stressed from the number of people. "If there's a free table, please feel free to take it and I'll be with you as soon as possible!"  
  
"...t-take your time." Oh. Lewis glanced over his shoulder, confirming that Arthur was standing there, no Vivi with him. Lewis grinned, picking up his pace a little as Arthur found an empty seat.  
  
As soon as he was able to step away, he rushed into the kitchen and fetched a dish from the fridge. His mother shot him a knowing grin and a raised eyebrow, to which Lewis offered a helpless shrug as he plated up the dish he'd made in the hopes that Arthur would return (he'd planned to eat it for dinner himself if Arthur hadn't shown up, the only reason his parents let him get away with it), added a glass of water, then hurried back out to the table. Thankfully, Arthur was still there. "Here you are! Hope this dish is more to your liking than the one from yesterday!"  
  
"Uh. Wait. Um... Th-the one from yesterday was fine, though... I m-mean, it tasted good..." Arthur said, tugging at his sleeve in what appeared to be a nervous habit.  
  
"Might have been, but you looked like you were just shy of breathing fire. I think you'll like this a lot more," Lewis replied, offering Arthur his most charming smile. The blond flushed, looking down at his plate. Slowly, he took a bite only to brighten considerably.  
  
"Th-this is good, thank you," Arthur said quietly. Lewis beamed, then nodded and left Arthur to enjoy his food while he continued working.  


\----

Two more weeks followed in the same fashion. Arthur would come in, sometimes alone, sometimes with Vivi, Lewis would deliver a new dish for Arthur to try, wait to see if he liked it, then head off to the next table that needed his attention. If Vivi was there, she'd be looking terribly amused.  
  
Then Arthur failed to turn up for three nights in a row. Logically, Lewis knew the blond likely couldn't afford to eat out every night as he had been, but he was still disappointed. On the fourth night, Vivi came in alone. Before he could greet her, she was approaching, frowning. She looked worried. "Hey, can I talk to you? Preferably somewhere a little more private?"  
  
"Uh... yeah, come on," Lewis replied. He'd never seen her without an impish grin on her face and laughter in her tone, so this was concerning. He led the blunette into the back room where they kept the cleaning supplies, then turned to face her. "What's this about?" he asked.  
  
"It's about Arthur. I know he's been coming every day until recently. Thank you for taking the time to make him custom dishes, by the way. That was sweet of you." There was that impish grin, though it only lasted a second. Still, Lewis sputtered, embarrassed at having been caught out by this girl he didn't really know. "Arthur got hurt in the garage the other day. It was pretty bad and he's been in the hospital."  
  
"What? Oh my god, is he gonna be okay? Wait, why are you telling me this?" Lewis questioned in a rush.  
  
"Yeah, he's gonna be fine. He's got a broken leg and won't be going anywhere for a while, though. He's been whining that he can't come see you, though. So here's the thing. He wants to see you. He's miserable. He likes you, and he's gonna be pissed at me for telling you that, but I don't care. You've clearly got something going for him, too-" Vivi paused to snicker as Lewis' face turned red, "-or you wouldn't be crafting some new dish for him to try every day he's come by."  
  
"You-! We barely know each other!"  
  
"Yeah? So? It's called a crush, big guy, and you two have both got it bad," Vivi quipped, laughing again before sobering. "Anyway, as I was saying... You should come see him instead. Come to the hospital tomorrow and ask after Arthur Kingsmen. Oh, and don't forget to bring something tasty. Hospital food is nasty and Arthur isn't restricted to any sort of diet." She winked at him, then breezed out of the supply room and straight out the diner doors.  
  
"...welp..." Lewis said after a moment. He'd just been steamrolled by a cheerful blunette.  


\----

The next day, Lewis found himself packing up a simple meal into a pair of plastic containers, which was shoved into a cooler bag along with a couple of chocolate milkshakes and two forks. Comfort food, basically. Once that was all gathered, he hopped into his car and headed for the hospital, still unsure as to why he was doing this.  
  
The receptionist at the hospital gave him the room number and directions and soon enough, Lewis was standing outside Arthur's door... which flew open to reveal Vivi and Lance Kingsmen. "Oh good! You made it! Uncle Lance and I were just headed off to get lunch, so why don't you go on in and keep Artie company for us?" Lewis, nor Lance, had any chance to respond as she hustled them off, leaving Lewis standing there feeling kinda awkward.  
  
"Um... hello?" Lewis ventured, stepping into the short hall that led into the room.  
  
Silence before a soft, "Oh my god, Vi, why?" and then, "...c-come in..."  
  
Lewis stepped into the room proper, sheepish. "Hi... I, um... heard you were in the hospital... I brought lunch?" He held up the cooler bag, taking the moment to examine Arthur. His right leg was in a heavy-looking cast that hung from a sling slightly above the bed. The rest of him was better but still rough. His right arm was heavily bandaged, and Lewis did a double-take at noticing his left arm was a prosthetic. A robotic prosthetic, if the slightly miserable plucking at his blanket was anything to go by. There was a dent in the metal on the back of his forearm. Lewis hadn't noticed because of the flesh-toned covering on the hand, now torn and missing pieces to reveal the silver metal beneath.  
  
Arthur grimaced. "Oh man, I r-really didn't want you to see me like- like this, but lunch also sou-sounds amazing... still gonna m-murder Vivi for this, though..."  
  
Lewis chuckled. "It looks like it's a good thing I made something simple," he said, setting the cooler down on the floor next to Arthur's bed and then unpacking it onto the tray as soon as the blond moved his laptop out of the way.  
  
"I'd t-take anything that's not hos-hospipi... _hospital_ food right now. I swear, th-they don't want people to g-get better..." Arthur muttered, making Lewis laugh again.  
  
"Or maybe the bad food is an encouragement to get better as fast as possible so they don't go mad eating it?" he suggested.  
  
Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "...you know... th-that could be it..."  


\----

Arthur sighed as his uncle pushed his rented wheelchair toward the house. He'd been stuck in the hospital for two weeks after a car half fell on him and while Uncle Lance, Vivi, and Lewis had definitely made his stay more bearable by visiting and making sure he had delicious food to eat instead of the crap the hospital served, it was still so good to be home again.  
  
Though that was another thing entirely. Lewis. After Vivi had blabbed that he was in the hospital, Lewis had shown up every day at 11 am on the nose. A couple of times, he'd stayed for a few hours, though most of the time, he dropped off food, asked how Arthur was doing, collected the dishes and cooler bag from the previous day's lunch, then had to take off again in order to get home before the lunch rush. He always looked like he regretted having to leave and Arthur couldn't understand why.  
  
That, however, didn't change the fact that he was happy Lewis wanted to hang around. Before he'd first gone into the diner, he'd seen Lewis around town a number of times. Vivi had clearly caught him out on his staring and accused him of drooling. Which, to be fair, had probably been true. The dark-skinned man was unfairly attractive, even from a distance. It had been Vivi who discovered where Lewis worked and encouraged Arthur to go to the diner and meet Lewis properly... though he'd only gotten as far as getting the man's name before he'd chickened out and fled that first evening.  
  
It had taken Vivi dragging him in and forcing him to stay to break the ice and then Arthur was having dinner at Pepper Paradiso every night. Honestly, it was probably his own distraction that had caused him to be half crushed under a car. If he hadn't been thinking about Lewis, he probably would have noticed the dangerous wobble before it was too late to completely escape... though he'd never, ever admit that to anyone. He didn't want his uncle to fire him from the job he actually sincerely loved.  
  
Uncle Lance pushed the wheelchair around to the front of the building and Arthur blinked. "Is that a ramp?" he asked. He'd fully expected to have to deal with the rough bumps of getting in and out of the house until he'd healed up enough to get his cast off.  
  
"Yup," Lance replied. "Vivi and a couple of the guys built 'em for ya. Make sure you thank her, kid."  
  
"Oh, y-yeah, of course..." Arthur mumbled. Vivi and his co-workers were great. The ramp was really longer than it needed to be, making the trip up it smooth and barely noticeable. He reached out with his left arm and opened the door, only to be assaulted with the scent of cooking food. The living room, where he knew he was going to be spending most of his time for the next month or more, was decorated, a homemade banner with the words, "WELCOME HOME ARTHUR" painted on it was pinned to the wall and Arthur let out an incredulous laugh. That had Vivi written all over it. "Y-you let Vi do th-this, Uncle Lance?" he asked.  
  
"You bet. Maybe if I let her embarrass you enough, you won't let yourself get distracted by thinking about a boy while you're working," Uncle Lance said, nudging Arthur pointedly. Arthur's face turned bright red. How had his uncle known?! "And before you let yourself worry too much, no, you are not fired. You're a damn good mechanic, Arthur, and you know more about the electronic fiddly bits than any other member of my shop. I'd be a fool to fire you over an accident that is just as much my fault for not making sure the equipment was properly maintained. Plus, even when your mind is split thinking about other things, I'm pretty sure you could do the work I give you in your sleep." The elder Kingsmen chuckled, giving Arthur a rough pat on the shoulder, then pushed the chair into the dining room.  
  
It wasn't just Vivi. A handful of Uncle Lance's employees were sitting or standing around the dining room, talking with Vivi. And standing in the kitchen, expertly moving between the stove and the counter, was Lewis. "...uh...?" Everyone turned at the sound of Arthur's hesitant voice, but it was Lewis who reacted first.  
  
"Art! Welcome home!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lewis asks Arthur out on a date after the party is over. Arthur, in a tired, kinda overstimulated daze, accepts without thinking only to have a mini freakout the next day because, omg, he's going out on a date with Lewis! ::cackles::
> 
> Arthur's robot arm came about from an accident before he and Vivi moved to Tempo. I just like the idea of Arthur having a cool robot arm no matter what, okay? Haha
> 
> ~~Arthur's verbal trip-up over the word 'hospital' is something that I, personally, have done and thought it'd be funny to inflict it on Artie.~~
> 
> Also, Arthur and Vivi are childhood best friends, so when Arthur moved to Tempo, she followed him because "leaving Artie alone in a new town? Terrible idea. He'll likely lose a leg next. Granted, that'd kinda be cool. He'd look like a reverse Edward Elric! Only he's the badass inventor who made his new limbs!"
> 
> And then Arthur has a car fall on him while he's working and Vivi teases him endlessly over it once he's all healed up. lmfao


	23. Freeze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Arthur and Vivi  
> Tags: ~Pre-canon. ~Medium Arthur. ~Mostly non-verbal Arthur. ~Mostly Angst.
> 
> Tied in with Shiver (day 15). Swift wanted to see the results of the only post-cave possession and I had this prompt free and sudden inspiration. lol

Arthur sighed as he settled into the passenger seat of his van, Vivi sitting in the driver's seat. She was grinning and chattering a mile a minute, but Arthur was barely paying attention. The stump of his arm ached and his heart throbbed right along with it. The only reason he'd agreed to this trip at all was that it gave him the opportunity to start looking for Lewis. Maybe once he found the younger man, Vivi would get her memories back and things would all go back to how they were.  
  
Hah, yeah right. How could they when he was so damaged by... whatever had happened in The Cave? He'd lost an arm, almost bled to death on the rough stone ground. And on top of it all, he was somehow afraid of Mystery, who'd done so much to help him over the years that it was ridiculous that he could ever be afraid of the not-dog.  
  
And yet, here they were, Arthur tense and feeling like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car because Mystery was somewhere behind him ~~ready to tear his other arm off~~ , reading a book or something. Arthur was trying not to look.  


\----

"We're here!" Vivi chirped, startling Arthur so much he jolted into the door, smacking his head and good shoulder.  
  
"Owww..." Arthur whined, shooting a glare at Vivi, then fished his phone out. His text-to-speech app was already open, so he typed, ("Don't do that, Vi!")  
  
"Wow, someone's jumpy tonight," Vivi said teasingly. Arthur wasn't in the mood, sighing harshly as he put his phone down, then freed himself from his seatbelt prison. "Ready to go help a ghost?" the blunette asked. No, he wasn't ready, but he nodded yes anyway.  
  
This was honestly a pretty cut-and-dry case. Get in there, find out what was eating the ghost haunting the place, see if they could help them move on (and baring that, help them get along with the owner of the building) then head off on their road trip again to repeat this several more times while Arthur looked for Lewis and worked on the design for his new arm.  
  
Well, if he could figure out the logistics of getting a mechanical prosthetic to work with the nerves and muscles of what remained of his arm, anyway.  
  
As his mind turned inward, thinking about his (possible) future prosthetic, Vivi was watching him with one eye while grabbing equipment. Maybe they'd come out here too soon? Arthur had been acting so strange lately, which she'd originally tied into the trama of losing his arm, but it honestly felt like there was more to it than that. It was vexing that she couldn't figure it out. Well, regardless, they were here now and they couldn't exactly turn back when she'd already accepted the jobs and partial payment for getting them out to said jobs.  
  
...maybe she should just tell Arthur to stay in the van? But she wasn't spiritually aware like Arthur was. He could actually hear and sometimes even clearly see those weak spirits that people normally had issues with. It sucked, but she needed him to do her job, so with a sigh that he didn't even notice, she took his hand and guided him inside.  


\----

Arthur must have zoned out, because he blinked and realized that he was suddenly inside the building where their current job was instead of outside. There were a ton of little sounds that Vivi didn't hear and Arthur looked around with wide eyes. This wasn't a single haunting. This was multiple... and Vivi still had him by the hand, so he couldn't even dig out his phone to type as chills raced up and down his spine. This was going to be a looooong night. At least they had the bed and breakfast to themselves until the next day. He'd need a place to crash after all of this.  
  
The blond closed his eyes and took a deep breath, gently tugged his hand from Vivi's once they stopped walking. Vivi made a startled sound, then looked back at Arthur with wide eyes. "Oh, crap. Sorry, Arthur! I didn't mean to keep your hand captive!" she said, grimacing as Arthur shot her a tiny smile, shaking his head.  
  
"S'okay. I-I'm o-o-okay," he said as he fished out his phone again. He missed being able to sign almost as much as he missed his life from before The Cave, with Lewis and Vivi and a Mystery that he wasn't scared of. ("Anyway... We're going to have a long night. There are multiple spirits here.")  
  
"...oh. Welp, maybe we should go up to the rooms? I don't think I can carry you up without-" Vivi suddenly cut off, eyes going blank for a moment before she shook the momentary brain glitch off. "...what was I saying?"  
  
("The rooms? It's a good idea. I'm gonna be a lot more tired than usual, so I'm not even sure I would be able to make it up the stairs even with help.") Arthur's hands shook slightly as he typed out the white lie. Erasing Lewis from their interactions felt like the biggest of sins and he felt like scum for it... but he told himself that if Lewis knew Arthur was doing it for Vivi's sake, he wouldn't be upset.  
  
"Oh, right! Okay, you should go up and I'll follow as soon as I finish setting up cameras and shit down here, okay?" Vivi suggested. Arthur nodded and then turned to head up. He could sense all the ghosts behind him, following him upstairs and he mentally counted the individual feelings.  
  
There were five of them. He got the impression of heat and pain, a lack of air. Suffocating. He promptly blocked it out. Vivi didn't need to come up to find him gasping for air on the floor or passed out because he'd started hyperventilating. '...this is gonna be a rough night...' he couldn't help thinking as he sat down on the bed in the first room. Ghosts who died in terrible, painful ways ~~like apparently being victims of a house fire, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick~~ tended to be tougher to deal with than those who passed quickly. He definitely preferred it when the ghost lost their life quickly.  
  
Static and crackling in his ear. Ugh. One of them had gotten brave and was trying to talk to him. They were curious. He let himself tune in. Curiousity. _Canyouhearus?_ This was the part he didn't actually mind so much. Given that ghosts were creatures of emotion and energy, it was easier to communicate with them non-verbally. The other mediums he'd met over time that spoke aloud all admitted that they only did it for the sake of the other living people around them. Vivi and Lewis had never asked him to speak out loud. He'd sign for them, but they'd both considered his conversations private unless he chose to share. It was nice.  
  
He closed his eyes against pointless outside stimulus and focused. ~Not hear. Understand.~ _Canyouhelpus?_ ~Maybe. Will try.~ _Thankyou._ ~You're welcome.~ The ghost pulled back and Arthur sighed, opening his eyes to find Vivi leaning over him. He shrieked, flailing for a moment before falling back against the bed, his balance upset.  
  
"Whoa! Sorry, Artie! I didn't mean to scare you!" Vivi cried, reaching out to help Arthur sit back up.  
  
He waved her off, fingerspelling, ["I S F I N E."] before dragging himself further onto the bed. He flopped backwards, sighing before fumbling a moment for his phone. Vivi handed it to him and he shot a smile in her direction in thanks. ("Ready to start?")  
  
"If you are," Vivi replied. Arthur nodded. "Okay, then. You get to doing your thing while I get the camera turned on." He shot her a thumbs up, then cast his attention to the five ghosts hanging about. He concentrated on putting out a feeling of welcoming, visualizing himself with arms (both of them, how stupid) open for a hug. The braver ghost from before responded.  
  
It didn't feel any different than normal (perhaps a bit warmer due to the cause of death) but Arthur froze, eyes flying open as white-hot terror gripped him. ~~Green. Choking and frozen, unable to move, to talk. Arm green. Hand lifting. P U S H I N G Le- something! No, no, no!~~ The ghost was thrown off in a rush of energy that caused Vivi's camera to nearly topple over. "What the hell, Arthur, why would you-... wait, are you okay?" She was stunned for a moment as Arthur curled up into a ball, sobbing, but she quickly scrambled up onto the bed and curled up with him. "Shh, it's okay. You're fine, I promise," she whispered.  
  
The blunette could have sworn she heard concerned sounding whispers all around her.  


\----

Arthur woke the next morning feeling cold and miserable. The ghosts were still milling around, filling the air with a concerned energy. He sent remorse and ~I'm okay.~ back at them. The one he'd talked to sent a staticky trill back at him along with forgiveness and _youdidntmeanto_ and while that was true, it didn't make it any easier to deal with the realization that he was now terrified of being possessed.  
  
It was almost as if-... had he been possessed in the cave? Had Vivi? ...Lewis? Was that why Lewis was missing? _Missingfriend?_ ~Yeah. Arm gone, too.~ _Canhelplook?_ ~You can leave?~ _Diedheredidntwanttoleave._ ~...but you...~ _Youtriedtohelpus. Wetrytohelpyou._ ~...thank you...~ Bright energy filled the room, and then all five of them were gone. Well, that had gone well. Arthur had failed terribly at letting Vivi communicate with the ghosts, but perhaps he could still be useful. At least for this trip, Arthur would stick to mentally communicating and writing down the 'conversation' for Vivi in a notebook. It wasn't the best, but it was all he could do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo... that was unintentional, but I think those ghosts that went looking for Arthur's missing friend wind up being the deadbeats. The constantly sad one is the one Arthur had direct contact with and actually knows the truth (picked it up in the middle of Arthur's panic attack while they were being expelled). The other four were all affected by Lewis' rage against Arthur's apparent betrayal and none of the others, nor Lewis are willing to listen to them when they try to tell Lewis what ACTUALLY happened in the cave. They are soooooo happy when Lewis gets his head on straight and has a civil conversation with Arthur.
> 
> And yes, this occurs in the months following the events in The Cave, after Arthur's well enough to leave the hospital, but before he makes his prosthetic. He really _shouldn't_ be going on road trips because he's not even been out of the hospital that long, but he convinced Vivi he was fine and kinda... used her memory issues against her. Mystery isn't all that impressed with Arthur and scolds him, but there isn't really all that much he can do when Arthur is absolutely terrified of him and does everything he can to avoid being in a room alone.


	24. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis & Vivi, one-sided Lewis/Vivi, Lewis & Arthur, one-sided Arthur/Lewis  
> Tags: ~Post canon. ~Vivi has been keeping her distance (emotionally) from Lewis. ~Lewis still loves Vivi (but he also loves Arthur, too). ~Arthur is pining for Lewis. ~Protective Arthur. ~Baby Mystery.
> 
> Follow-up to Gloves, in which Vivi is being unintentionally cruel to Lewis and causing his anchor to crack repeatedly.

Arthur sighed, brushing snow off his vest as he stepped inside Lewis' mansion... which was flickering? What the hell? Was Lewis changing things up again? It wouldn't be the first time. Still, he ventured further in. If it were dangerous, the Deadbeats would soon appear to stop him from getting hurt. The little things, once they stopped being scary, were absolutely adorable and seemed to like him. Honestly, they kinda reminded him of friendly cats and the thought made him smile.  
  
An urgent trill interrupted his thoughts and Arthur blinked as a Deadbeat rushed at him, gently bumping into him. They were shivering and making distressed sounds. "Hey... what's wrong?" Arthur asked gently, running his right hand over the little spirit's head. They made a discordant sound and backed away a little, tugging at Arthur's hand. "Okay, I'm coming. Is Lew okay?" Another distressed sound. Okay, so no, he wasn't.  
  
The mechanic followed the Deadbeat, gaining a couple more along the way until he could hear faint shouting. The mansion flickered again and Arthur stumbled as his feet sunk slightly through the floor. The Deadbeats caught him, lifting him in time to not get his sunken feet trapped in the floorboards. "Thanks, guys," Arthur said, then broke into a mad dash as soon as he was able.  
  
The shouting was Vivi and some stranger he didn't recognize. Lewis was cowering in the corner, hands over his anchor and tears running down his cheekbones. Arthur completely ignored Vivi and the stranger, instead rushing over to Lewis... just in time for the ghost to vanish, his anchor, cracked and greyed out falling to the floor. Casting a mental apology to Lewis, he snatched the heart up, then fell to the hard-packed dirt underneath as the manor flickered and vanished around them. "Crap, Lewis!" Arthur clutched the locket to his chest, feeling it beat faintly in his hand. This was going to take a lot to fix and doing it in the snow was probably not a good idea.  
  
He climbed to his feet and whirled to face Vivi and the stranger who seemed to be just standing up, Vivi brushing dirt off her knees. The Deadbeats coiled protectively around him, bristling and hissing like angry cats. "What the hell, guys?! Whatever you were arguing about, did it have to be in front of Lewis?! Look at this! Look at what you've done!" Arthur shouted, hand opening to reveal the faintly beating locket, his left swinging out to motion to the missing manor before pointing at the stranger. "You! I don't know who the fuck you are, but I don't want to see you around here again! I'll deck you with my robot arm if I see you around Lewis' place again, got it?!" The stranger, clutching a bible and looking outright terrified as Arthur waved his left fist, nodded and raced off. Arthur's attention then turned to Vivi.  
  
"And you! You should know better! After all the paranormal shit you've studied and all our investigations, you'd think you'd _understand_! Lewis was your boyfriend, Vivi! At one point, you loved him, so I can't understand why you _keep hurting him_ like this!"  
  
"Arthur, I... he almost killed you! How can you trust him?!" Vivi snapped back.  
  
"You know what angry ghosts are like! The last fucking thing he saw before he died violently was my god-damned possessed face, laughing as he fell! After my hand pushed him! Yeah, I was possessed, but it was still me he saw and he didn't fucking know! You _know_ vengeful spirits need evidence that their course is wrong! And Lew got it before he killed me, so it's _fine_!" Arthur stopped, panting softly as he clutched the damaged locket to his chest. "Vi... if I can forgive him, why can't you?" he asked, voice much softer.  
  
"I don't get why you do!" Vivi threw up her hands in exasperation. "I don't know how you can forgive the guy that tried to murder you not once, but three times! And he almost got me and Mystery in that second attempt! He's violent and dangerous, Artie!"  
  
"He's not, Vivi. Has he done anything wrong since he snapped out of his rage? Rage does things to spirits. You know this as well as I do. He was angry at me and now he's not. He's been protecting me, even when you wouldn't let him go on investigations with us," Arthur said, tone gentle as he pat one of the Deadbeats on the head with his robot arm. The Deadbeat churred, nuzzling into his hand and soon enough, the rest of them were nudging into his hand for comfort pats.  
  
"You've... had his Deadbeats with you?" Vivi asked, eying the little things.  
  
"Yeah. Lew asked me to take a couple. I built a temporary anchor for them into my arm so they'd have somewhere safe to retreat and keep out of sight. Angry Deadbeats are no laughing matter," Arthur said with a chuckle. "Well, unless they are on your side." A snowflake landed on his nose, reminding Arthur that, despite the lingering warmth from the dissipated home, they were still outside and Lewis was still resting inside his damaged anchor. "I'm going back to the van. I need to work on fixing what you and Mister Bible did," he said, tone hardening.  
  
"What _we_ did?" Vivi asked, bristling. Arthur shot her a look, amber eyes steely.  
  
"Yeah, Vivi, you're at fault here, too. You know very well that ghosts are emotion and energy. What kind of energy have _you_ been putting out towards him? And you wanna know the worst part about this? He's not even upset at you. He thinks he deserves everything you throw at him, every single instance of his anchor being cracked," he said, then turned away and, with his Deadbeat collection hissing back at Vivi as she stood, shell-shocked in the falling snow, headed for the van.  
  
"C-cracked?" she questioned quietly, staring after Arthur. "But I never saw... wait. Fix-... Arthur?"  
  
Arthur ignored Vivi, climbing into the back of the Mystery Skulls van. The Deadbeats rushed around, locking all the doors to keep any intruders out of the space Arthur had chosen to help their guardian. Once he was settled, back resting against the back of the front bench seat, he opened his hand, surveying the damage to the locket. "Shit, this is bad... just what did she say? How long was she arguing with that guy?" The Deadbeats trilled sadly, gathered around Arthur. He got the impression of time passing. "Long enough, huh? Yeah, that clocks- heh. That was bad." He shook his head, attention turning once again to the locket. "Okay, this is gonna suck. I'm just glad I actually managed a full night's sleep last night," he said, shifting until he was laying down, head resting on the deflated and folded up air mattress they kept in the back for long trips.  
  
Once he was as comfortable as he was going to get, he focused on the locket, envisioning the cracks closing and Lewis' anchor regaining its glow. The drain was as bad as he expected, but the anchor was still cracked and only the core regained its glow, meaning it was going to take several sessions to fix this. The Deadbeats were making worried sounds and Arthur cracked open an eye. ~~When had he closed them?~~ "Nn... s'okay. Just need a nap and then-" he was cut off with a jaw-popping yawn, "-I'll finish this..."  


\----

Vivi stared in shock as Arthur vanished into his van. It was hard to believe that Arthur had spoken to her like that but even harder to think that she'd actually caused any sort of damage. Lewis had never changed how he acted towards her ~~(had he always been so meek around her?)~~ and wouldn't he have said anything or acted differently if she'd been hurting him? He clearly understood that she was just making damn sure he wasn't going to hurt Arthur-... oh. Arthur had said Lewis was protecting him... Of course, he wasn't going to act differently towards her if their goals aligned. She groaned. "Fuck, I owe them an apology, don't I?" she asked aloud. There was no one to answer her.  
  
She sighed, headed to the van. However, when she tried to open the doors, she found them locked and then she found that her key didn't work. A Deadbeat hissed at her from inside when she tried to peer into the interior. "I came to apologize!" she called through the glass. The Deadbeat relaxed, face shifting from scary to sweet. "Can I come in?" The Deadbeat tilted, then turned away. She thought she heard trilling, then after a moment, the passenger side lock clicked up. She took the opportunity given and hurried to climb in, only pausing to shake the snow off so she didn't get too much inside Arthur's baby. The door locked again once she was safely inside.  
  
When she peered over into the back to talk to Arthur, she found him lying limp on the floor. Resting in his lax hand was Lewis' anchor, glowing faintly from the core, but still mostly grey and looking like it was going to fall apart at any moment. "...I did that...?" she asked, voice hitching. A Deadbeat knocked into her shoulder, baring their teeth for a moment before draping their little body over Arthur. The others were also doing so and Vivi realized that the van was pretty cold and Arthur was shivering slightly. "Oh! Uh, hold on a sec. I can at least fix the heat problem," she said, fishing her van keys out again and shoving the key in the ignition. She thought for a moment, then sighed. She could get Arthur to bring her back out here to pick up her car later. For now, she needed to get her friends home.  


\----

Arthur woke slowly. He was warm and covered in purring Deadbeats, if the sound he was hearing was any indicator. He was also laying on something much softer than the van floor. Confused, he opened his eyes, finding himself in his room in the house he'd shared with Vivi and Lewis before The Cave had happened. It was pretty barren considering he'd moved back in with Uncle Lance in the aftermath of Vivi losing her memories, but the bed was still the perfect amount of softness and the sheets smelled fresh. How had he gotten here, though?  
  
And there was Lewis' anchor, resting on the pillow next to his head with a small Deadbeat coiled around it, guarding. The locket's colour was a little more vibrant than he remembered it being from before he'd passed out. Perhaps the ambient energy of the house had helped. Or maybe Mystery had put in an assist. If he had, Arthur was going to have words with the kitsune. Mystery really didn't have anything to spare in the aftermath of the incident with Shiromori and the demon that had killed Lewis possessing him. Going from giant nine-tailed kitsune to a fox-sized single-tailed kitsune had to have been hard. He didn't even have the energy to spare for his dog disguise, so if he'd gone and given any to Lewis... Arthur sighed, gingerly pushing himself up, the Deadbeats sliding off to the sides with the motion.  
  
"So, how'd we get here?" he asked one sleepy-eyed spirit. They trilled, tinting blue for a moment. "...Vivi brought us?" Another trill, this one scaling up. Arthur hummed softly. "...did she touch the locket?" A disapproving look and another affirmative trill. Arthur sighed again. "Rude, but I imagine she was just trying to help," he said, carefully picking up the locket. It pulsed in his hand and he smoothed his thumb over a crack. "Hey, Lew. Lemme raid Vi's kitchen and then I'll give you another boost. We'll get you fixed up, I swear."  
  
Quietly, Arthur made his way out of his former room and down the hall to the kitchen. However, he stopped up short at the entrance. Vivi was sitting at the island, looking miserable. He could see tear tracks on her cheeks and dark circles had formed under her eyes. In front of her sat a bowl of a very sad looking salad, obviously her dinner and hours old. Mystery was sitting at her feet, staring up at her with huge doe eyes, his fluffy tail coiled around his paws.  
  
"Vivi." The blunette jumped, nearly falling off her stool at the sound of Arthur's voice.  
  
"Arthur! You're awake!" Vivi shot him a relieved smile before it fell away. "How... how's Lewis? I tried to help earlier, but one of his Deadbeats tried to bite me when I touched his anchor..."  
  
Arthur raised a brow. "You're really surprised by that? One, rude. You've never even asked to touch it before, have you? Two, you really think they are gonna sit back and let you touch it when you've been hurting him? The only reason they haven't been hostile to you before is because Lewis asked them to be nice... but they are still their own spirits and the guy who's been protecting them is completely out of commission," Arthur replied, tone flat.  
  
"I... I didn't know... I'm sorry, Arthur..." Vivi said, quiet and deflated. Arthur softened slightly.  
  
"Of course you didn't. Lewis didn't want you to know," the blond told her with a sigh. "Look, I'm gonna raid your kitchen, then give Lew another round. Hopefully, this'll be enough. And Mystery, I see you there. If that open maw is an offer to help, you can shove it now. I'm sure none of us want you hurting yourself over this."  
  
<"You're mortal, Arthur. I am not. You-">  
  
"Yeah? And I can replenish my energy by eating and sleeping. You, on the other hand, have been weak as a kitten since we managed to save your fuzzy butt from that demon. How long will it take you to get all that power you had back?" Arthur asked, both brows raised now as Mystery shrunk in on himself.  
  
<"...I was essentially reborn due to what happened... to get back up to the level I was will take me another thousand years..."> the kitsune admitted, ears drooping.  
  
"Yeah. Exactly. So you can keep your offers to help to yourself," Arthur said, shaking his head with a smile. The locket pulsed in his hand, an out of sync beat. Lewis could hear them, then. It was a relief to know that he was aware enough to be listening. He smoothed his thumb over the warm metal again before heading to the fridge. Before he could get there, though, Vivi stood up.  
  
"If... if you're the only one who can help him right now, I think it's only fair that I do what I can to help. I'll make you something to eat. You just have a seat," she said, offering Arthur a tiny, watery smile. He hesitated a moment before nodding and sitting on one of the bar stools.  
  
Arthur set the locket down on the counter in front of him, relaxing as he fiddled with his arm. His shoulder hurt a little bit and he'd have to make sure to actually take his arm off before he got back to work fixing Lewis' anchor if he didn't want to damage anything. The last thing he wanted was his doctor yelling at him the next time he went to see her about checking the condition of his prosthetic's mount.  
  
He let himself zone out, listening to the Deadbeats trill and purr as they cuddled into him while Vivi cooked. They seemed to get that she was trying to help now, at least, as they didn't bristle or hiss when she came close, setting a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him. He shot her a smile. "Th-thanks, Vi," he said and she smiled back, though she still looked exhausted and like she was on the verge of tears. One of the Deadbeats split off, nudging her and wringing a small laugh.  
  
Things weren't okay and likely wouldn't be for a while yet, but Arthur felt sure that perhaps they would be if given a bit of time. At least, he hoped so, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the stranger was an Exorcist. He and Vivi were arguing, and Vivi wasn't exactly being nice, but she was trying to stop the guy from exorcising Lewis. The dude was insisting that Lewis was a demon and must be sent back to hell. Vivi was telling him that Lewis wasn't a _demon_ , but a wraith, the ghost of a human who'd succumb to wrath over the cause of his death. In truth, Lewis WAS a wraith, but since the truth about his death was revealed to him, he's become more of a guardian spirit for Arthur and Vivi (though he centers his focus more on Arthur because the boy's a danger magnet).
> 
> As far as Mystery's energy issues go... for non-mortal creatures, physical and spiritual energy are different. Arthur is mortal and in his prime, therefore, the two are basically the same. If his spiritual energy levels dip too low, his physical energy compensates and then he needs to rest and eat to recover and his energy will balance out again.
> 
> For Mystery, his physical and spiritual energy are separate. Physically, he's got all the energy of an adult fox and then some. Spiritually, though, he's basically a kitten and can barely do anything magical. That energy will replenish in time should he use it, but being so far from his homeland is also detrimental to his spiritual growth and recovery rate. He hasn't told his humans this. If he did, though, Arthur, Vivi, and Lewis would instantly start planning a vacation to take Mystery home.


	25. Jacket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~No Cave AU. ~Everyone's alive AU. ~Arthur hates formal wear. ~Mystery is there, but not mentioned because he's a "dog". ~He's probably with the Yukino family.

Arthur hated formal clothing, but he especially hated the jackets. If he was forced into formal clothing, the best one could get him into was a button-up, slacks, and a vest. And that's what he was wearing now, fussing with the stupid tie that he couldn't get knotted correctly no matter how he tried. And to make matters worse, he could hear Lewis laughing at him. "Yeah, yeah, ch-chuckles. L-laugh it up," Arthur grumbled, but then Lewis' huge hands were gently patting his aside.  
  
"You're hopeless, Art," Lewis said, tone fond. Arthur just grumbled more, flushing and looking away as Lewis effortlessly undid the mess Arthur had turned his tie into, then redid it properly. "Where's your jacket?"  
  
"Nooooope. You can't m-make me. I don't care. This is g-good e-enough," Arthur replied in a rush, waving his hands.  
  
"Vi's gonna kill you," Lewis said with a chuckle.  
  
"N-no she's not. She knows I d-d-don't like jackets," Arthur denied, but cast a doubtful glance at the bag that held the matching jacket to his suit. He then shook his head, firming his stance as he looked away. He wasn't going to give in and wear something that made him uncomfortable just because Vivi would pout at him. It was his wedding too.  
  
"Come on, if we don't get out there soon, Vi's gonna beat us to the alter, then she'll be _really_ cranky," Lewis said with a grin, holding out his arm for Arthur. Arthur beamed back, taking Lewis' arm and letting the younger man lead him out of their room, excited. Yeah, sure, they couldn't all legally get married (legally, it was just Lewis and Vivi on the marriage license), but they could have this at least and he was happy with it.  


\----

Vivi was absolutely stunning, practically glowing in the light filtering through the stained glass windows of the ancient church hall they'd chosen to get married in. Her white and ice-blue dress practically floated around her, the flowers in her hands matching the dress perfectly. "Wow... you look gorgeous, Vi," Arthur murmured as she joined them, beaming at Lewis and Arthur in turn.  
  
The ceremony practically flew by, and then there was laughter as they playfully fought over who kissed who first before Vivi took charge and made Lewis and Arthur go first. Then the boys grinned and planted kisses on both of Vivi's cheeks at once.  
  
By the time they'd all kissed properly, the entire chapel was laughing along with them. Arthur couldn't think of a better way to start the rest of their lives together, and when he quietly admitted that to Lewis and Vivi, they whole-heartedly agreed. There was no better way than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea what to write for this and I was panicking. And then, this just popped out on the fly.
> 
> They probably all take Arthur's family name to make up for him not being legally married to them.
> 
> ~~I was grinning stupidly at my own writing as I was editing for typos and any missed words. Also, Merry Christmas. This happy thing is my gift to you all, because, uh... angst returns for Xmas day because I'm horrible, apparently. lol~~


	26. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Ghost!Arthur AU. ~Feels. ~Fluff and Angst. ~Arthur being Arthur. ~Music. ~Christmas.
> 
> So... This might be tied into Timid? Can definitely stand on its own, though. Just, Arthur's a ghost. Everyone knows he's dead but are just happy he's still around.
> 
> Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, my friends. I hope your day is amazing. <3

Arthur smiled, listening to his loved ones as he hung ornaments from the tree. Somewhere behind him, Vivi was playing 'Silent Night' on her guitar while Lewis sang along, his deep, gentle voice filling the space and spilling out into the living room. Outside, Uncle Lance was helping out by hanging lights, Mr. Pepper and Mr. Yukino assisting him. Mrs. Pepper, Mrs. Yukino, and Lewis' baby sisters were all packed into the large kitchen with Lewis, baking and making the house Arthur shared with Lewis, Vivi, and Mystery smell amazing. Mystery and Arthur's Electrobeats were off somewhere else in the house, tending to their own decorations.  
  
The blond loved times like this, when everything was peaceful and relaxed. It wasn't always. Only a few short years ago, he'd almost lost everything. Had almost willingly given everything up, if he were being honest. Now, he had more than he could have ever imagined, despite having lost his mortal life in the process of protecting Lewis.  
  
As he was hovering up to place the star on the top of their tree, Vivi's guitar fell quiet. "Artie?"  
  
"Hm?" Arthur turned, looking at Vivi, who was beaming at him. He focused for a second, drawing up the facade of his living face so he could smile back at her. "Wh-what's up?"  
  
"Can I put the star on?" she asked. Arthur laughed softly, drifting back down.  
  
"Y-you just wanna f-fly," he accused, but handed her the star, then picked her up. It was an effortless motion that he would have struggled with while living. It was a little astonishing sometimes, just how strong he was as a ghost, but he wasn't going to complain. Not when he could lift Vivi or even Lewis this easily. Vivi let out an excited whoop as Arthur floated up to near the top of the tree, hovering in place so she could add the star.  
  
"Thanks, Arthur! Love you!" Vivi chirped, pecking him on the cheek and making Arthur flush and laugh again.  
  
"Love y-you, too, Vi."  


\----

Lewis was humming. Arthur could hear him clearly from inside his anchor, the star-shaped locket sitting on the coffee table. The ghost let out a soft hum of his own, drifting as he enjoyed the sound of Lewis' voice... which cut off when Arthur hummed. He let out a disgruntled sound before light, gentle fingers brushed over his anchor. "Art? Everything okay?" he heard Lewis ask.  
  
**{"Would be better if you'd keep singing,"}** Arthur muttered. Lewis laughed.  
  
"Is that all that's wrong? Okay, then. Good night, Art. I love you," Lewis replied, then started singing softly again, a Spanish carol filling the air. Arthur smiled, relaxing again.  
  
**{"Love you, too."}**  


\----

It was Christmas eve night, bordering on Christmas and Arthur was restless. His whole family, from Uncle Lance to Vivi and Lewis' families were all packed into whatever space could be made, a tradition since Arthur had almost literally returned from the grave. They'd all come over for Christmas Eve dinner, stay the night, then split off for their own homes at noon, after gifts were all opened and photos were taken. Arthur was never in the photos, being the photographer since ghost photos could be iffy at best. Vivi had a small, plush Arthur that cameoed in his place and that had to be good enough.  
  
Tonight, though, he couldn't find the peaceful resting state he usually could. His mind was too full, wondering if this was okay. Everyone seemed happy enough, but, at least to him, it never felt like the rough edges had smoothed over. There was still a ragged, sad feeling to the air that seemed to cling, no matter what he did. Was it okay for him to be here? He didn't dare ask, fearing the answer either way, though Vivi and Lewis would say yes, he could bet that with certainty. They clung to him in a way that he worried was unhealthy. Perhaps it would have been better had they never found him...  
  
He sighed softly, fingers skirting over the baby grand piano that sat in the living room. Maybe he could play if he was gentle with the keys... It was just a shame that he hadn't yet figured out how to avoid shorting out his synthesizer.  
  
Well, he'd never get any rest if he couldn't get his mind to settle, and the easiest way was to play. He sat at the bench, setting fingers to ivory keys, and though Arthur wasn't the best at singing, words came next, soft voice carrying gently, his eyes closing as he sang.  
  
~"In December,  
We give our gifts  
Wishing well to our world,  
Peace on Earth to everyone.  
A time to be joyful  
When all is calm and all is bright"~  


\----

~"But why? Does it change with the seasons?  
And why can't we just hold on?  
To silent nights,  
Holy nights and angels singing lullabies,  
And Heaven and nature, singing goodwill to all...  
To all..."~  
  
Vivi glanced at Lewis, both of them standing just outside the living room, listening as Arthur played the piano as quietly as possible. Both of them had been unable to sleep, worried about Arthur, who hadn't seemed all that happy over the evening. Oh, sure, he'd fooled their families, but his forced smiles and laughs couldn't fool them. Not after everything they'd been through. Arthur's singing was sweet, yet sad.  
  
~"There are times  
I can remember with family and friends the light of Christmas  
Radiates  
Lights of my memories  
The magic of love  
We made time  
But why?  
Does it change with the seasons?  
And why can't we just hold on?  
To silent nights,  
Holy nights and angels singing lullabies  
And Heaven and nature, singing goodwill to all...  
To all..."~  
  
The song trailed off, the piano soon following, but Arthur didn't look any more settled, tears in his eyes as he opened them and stared down at the keys. He then snarled softly, slamming the cover down hard enough that the piano gave off a loud, discordant sound, making Arthur wince. Vivi didn't even think, rushing into the room and hugging Arthur, Lewis right along-side her. "Hey, hey, shh... it's okay, Artie," Vivi whispered. A sob escaped the ghost and he sagged into the embrace, arms limp at his sides as Lewis pet his hair.  
  
Once Arthur seemed all cried out, Lewis picked up both him and Vivi. "Come on, let's get to bed and we can talk about what's going on in that head of yours, if you'd like," he murmured. Arthur let out a disgruntled sound but didn't fight them. Vivi knew he wouldn't be talking. Not tonight, anyway.  
  
He'd already buried his face in Lewis' shoulder when they passed by Uncle Lance. The man looked worried and Vivi shot him a reassuring smile. Everything would be fine. He looked unconvinced, but nodded and let them go without a word. She shot the elder Kingsmen a grateful smile over Lewis' shoulder before the man disappeared back into Arthur's room, where he was staying. She swore to herself that she'd pull him aside and let him know, to the best of her abilities, what was going on with Arthur.  
  
For now, though, she hummed softly as Lewis set her and Arthur down on the bed and then helped him wrangle Arthur until the ghost was firmly sandwiched between them. "You good, Artie?"  
  
"...yeah... thanks, I th-think I needed that..." Arthur replied, sighing as he snuggled further into them somehow. Vivi knew they'd wake up to Arthur in his anchor, in rest mode, but for now, this was nice. Vivi carded her fingers through Arthur's hair, enjoying the tingly, staticky sensation. He was here, with them, and as long as that was where he wanted to be, that was all that really mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Arthur sang is called 'December Song' by Peter Hollens. It's a really beautiful original Christmas song. If you haven't heard it, I highly advise giving it a listen, if only to get a feel for the emotion Arthur is putting into the song. His rendition sounds a bit more on the melancholy side, though.
> 
> ~~Vivi and Lewis both think Arthur has a beautiful voice, but Arthur's more a 'sing in the shower, not in front of an audience' guy and thinks he sounds terrible, so they rarely get to hear him exercising his vocal talents. Also, I didn't go into this intending on making it a songfic, nor did I intend on dipping into angst... but when someone is a ghost with huge self-image issues, I guess it isn't hard to go there. lol~~


	27. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Post-canon. ~Arthur's just a disaster. ~Boy, if Lewis and Vivi knew what was going on in that dumb head of yours, Arthur...
> 
> Apologies for dumping something so short on you guys. I promise I'll be making up for it with the next post.

Sometimes, Arthur thought he must be dreaming. What right did he have to be this happy after everything that had happened? But then he'd remember that he couldn't be dreaming. In his dreams, Lewis had been alive, Vivi's memories weren't tainted by that night in The Cave, and Arthur hadn't lost an arm, needing to replace it with a nearly impossibly advanced robotic arm. He and his best friends turned partners all lived in that one house they'd all been looking at before The Cave instead of Lewis' ghost manor that could shift locations and bend space to the ghost's will.  
  
Of course, Arthur couldn't deny that the manor was cool, but his dreams involved none of the suffering they'd gone through to get to where they were now. So sitting in the front seat of his van, sandwiched between Lewis' ghost (who was driving) and Vivi as they went on another road trip could not be part of a dream. Nor could Vivi's arms around his arm as she nuzzled his right shoulder.  
  
He almost couldn't even believe Lewis and Vivi loved him the way he loved them. For so long, he'd resigned himself to being a third wheel... and then The Cave had happened and Arthur still didn't remember what had happened exactly, but Lewis had died and Vivi had forgotten... but now, despite everything, Lewis was back, they were all happy and Arthur couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how he got this hecking lucky.  
  
Well, perhaps it was best to not look a gift horse in the mouth. He didn't deserve this happiness, nor their love, but he was far too selfish to give it up now that he had it. He just prayed that if it was a dream, that he'd never wake up. He didn't think he'd be able to survive in a world where Lewis and Vivi didn't return his love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look.. another piece where Arthur is being a dummy. Haha
> 
> Originally this was written for the 'Dream' prompt, but as I managed to write _two_ things for that prompt, I decided to move this one to Love. It fits pretty well here, too. lol


	28. Fortune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis & Vivi & Arthur & Mystery  
> Tags: ~Magic AU. ~Vivi's an all-rounder mage, though her magic looks like ice. ~Lewis is a healer with magic that looks like fire. ~Mystery is widely known to be a kitsune. ~Shiromori isn't mentioned at all, but she has her own place in this universe and isn't a threat to Mystery or any of the other Skulls. ~Mystery is a Skull because he wants to be, not because he's bound to the Yukino line. ~He's not bound by anything but the ties of friendship and could leave whenever. ~Supposed fairytales that are based on fact.
> 
> I just want you all to know that I spent HOURS reading Grimm's Fairytales in an effort to get the feeling of an old fairytale down. I'm still pretty sure I failed to mimic the writing style. LMAO

_Once upon a time, there was a young inventor known to all as Arthur. He had no family and none knew where he came from. The only thing they knew is that his inventions brought them happiness and prosperity and he made and freely gave out whatever he made. Wanting to keep him happy and living there, the townsfolk gave him anything he might need. He never wanted for anything. The maid down the way fixed him breakfast and supper every day. The tailor and shoemaker kept his clothing in good condition. The carpenter and blacksmith kept his house in good repair and his materials stocked. All he had to do was create and build.  
  
But he was lonely. In an effort to make sure he could keep building and making ever grander things, the townsfolk stayed away unless he needed something. He rarely saw any of the people that kept him clothed and fed, kept the roof over his head from leaking and kept the wind from blowing through the doors and shutters. The only times he saw the townsfolk was when he was taking something new to them or going out to retrieve materials for his latest creation.  
  
One day, a small company of knights rode into town. They were astonished at all the strange contraptions around the town. Things the knights had never seen or heard of before. 'The king and queen must know of this,' the guard captain thought. He asked to speak to the young inventor.  
  
"Oh no," said the baker, whose shop was furnished with a fancy wood stove made special for baking. "You must not bother young Arthur. His inventions are very important to him."  
  
"Important to him? Or important to you?" the guard captain asked. There was a murmur in the crowd and they all turned their backs on the company of guards. All except a young maid, no higher than the captain's hip. To the guard, the young maid asked, "You wish to see Arthur?" The guard replied-_  


\----

Vivi shut the book with a bit more force than needed, groaning as she leaned back in her seat. "Ugh! I _hate_ stories like that. The inventor is going to wind up refusing to go to the palace at first, but then the knight is gonna promise his friendship. The inventor will be friends with the knight and then when he's at the palace, he'll do something to offend the king and the king'll have him put to death for the slight," she grumbled.  
  
"I thought you loved the research part, Vi," Lewis said with an amused laugh.  
  
"I do! Just not when it involves old fairytales like this! They are all so depressing!" She flipped open the book again, skimming to the end. "Yeah, see? Look. The young inventor befriended the queen and in a fit of jealousy, the king had the inventor hung! What kinda ending is that for a lonely kid?" the blunette grumbled. "Look, can we just go investigate the spooky, probably haunted castle now?" Lewis was laughing as he stood up, abandoning his own research... which was about as enlightening as the fairytale Vivi had found, if he were to be honest. All of it was no more than hearsay.  


\----

Arthur was lonely. So terribly lonely. After he'd been murdered for the crime of making a friend in the queen, his soul had been cursed by the palace mage. For his crimes, he was bound to the castle, ordered to keep his inventions in good working order and the castle in good condition. Not even the death of the mage had been enough to free him. Eventually, the castle had gone empty, but Arthur still kept to his duty, had no choice in the matter.  
  
Living humans couldn't understand why dust did not gather. Why his inventions never broke down or decayed. Why the castle never fell to ruin. Thrill-seekers and "ghost hunters" came every once in a while, but after one instance of nearly having his anchor destroyed (and by the gods, did it hurt), he did his best to avoid anyone who came, even if all he wanted to do was sit down and talk. Anything to alleviate the loneliness for even a short time.  
  
But his anchor hurt, reminding him that living people were bad news. He was sure these ones were no different. He heard their voices before he saw them. The bright, laughing voice of a young woman and the deep voice of a young man who sounded no less enthused about the castle. Arthur heard them talking in amazed voices about how clean the castle was. The man wondered if there was perhaps some cleaning crew still hanging around and Arthur snorted to himself. The man was right in a way.  
  
He would have left without seeing them at all, not wanting to tempt fate... but then a third voice spoke. This one didn't sound human. The two humans had something _Other_ with them. Arthur had always been curious, an unfortunate trait at times, and he wanted to know what that Other one was. So he hovered by the ceiling, watching and waiting for them to come around the corner. A dog was in the lead, nose to the ground, sniffing. <"I don't think there's been anyone here in at least a few months, Vivi,"> the Not-A-Dog said. <"However... I'm picking up something... not very nice. It smells like a curse.">  
  
"What? What kind of curse?!" the girl, who must have been Vivi, demanded.  
  
The Not-A-Dog whined. <"I think the base may have been a binding spell. Which means there's likely someone here, trapped. If we can find them and ask them the particulars of their spell...">  
  
"We can free them." The male human said. "Okay then. Do we know what's bound here?"  
  
<"All I can tell you is it feels old. Perhaps human."> The Not-A-Dog sniffed the air. <"Make that definitely human. I don't smell anger? Fear, though... We may not be able to find them.">  
  
Arthur hid a bit better, then projected his voice. **"W-who are you people? What do you want in my castle?"** He tried to be assertive, but his voice wavered. Longing and fear both hovered in the air after he spoke, the results of his ghostly nature.  
  
Vivi, both effected by the emotions left in the air in the wake of his question and clearly effected by her own excitement, bounced on her toes, eyes sparkling like someone half her apparent age. "We're paranormal investigators! I'm Vivi Yukino, this is Lewis Pepper, and this is our spirit companion, Mystery!" she announced, motioning to each in turn, even if she wasn't sure the one who'd spoken could see them.  
  
"...not... not hunters? Y-you aren't here to, uh..." What was the word they'd used? Ah, that was right, " _exorcise_ me?" he asked. The look on all three faces was one of dismayed horror.  
  
"Never! We'd _never_ do that! We're here to learn, not harm!" Vivi denied. She sounded distressed at the very idea of doing harm. Arthur believed her. Or maybe he was just so desperate for anything that he couldn't stop himself from trusting her words. Either way, he stepped out of hiding. Well, partly. He peered around the corner, staring nervously at them and fidgeting with his hands. The Not-A-Dog, Mystery, carefully approached, nose twitching.  
  
<"I'm sorry if this is prying, but... may I ask after the specifics of your binding curse and how you wound up with it?"> Mystery asked, sitting calmly. He was far enough away that Arthur felt comfortable. The other two followed and stopped a respectful distance away. They held nothing in their hands, had put away all their gear with the flashing lights. The inventor smiled slightly, appreciating the respect for his boundaries.  
  
"It's, uh... not a problem..." Arthur sighed, sliding down the wall to sit, hugging his knees and leaning far enough forward that the living trio could see him and he could see them. Then he started to tell his tale. Vivi looked ticked, but it clearly wasn't at him. When he was done, she groaned.  
  
"I can't believe how accurate that stupid fairytale was!" she grumbled, throwing up her hands in an exasperated gesture. "Well, 'Stree? Think we can break that curse on Artie here?" She ignored Arthur's whispered but yet still questioning, '...artie?' in favour of focusing on her canid friend.  
  
<"Well, yes... but the specifics might be a little tricky..."> Mystery paused. <"Arthur, may we see your anchor? I swear, we have no ill intentions.">  
  
"...okay." Arthur shuffled forward, letting go of his legs and sitting up straight. The trio looked horrified again.  
  
"Shit, what happened?" Lewis asked, staring in helpless horror at the damaged anchor.  
  
"Botched exorcism. They tried, it didn't work. Then they tried to bind me down and destroy my anchor manually..." Arthur explained, voice flat and emotionless. They hadn't cared that he was in agony. All they cared about was that the castle was no longer haunted. Those hunters had never even considered that there was a reason he was here. He'd have moved on long ago had he not been sealed. They hadn't even been able to destroy his anchor, only managing to crack the stupid grey thing. He wished they'd succeeded because then he'd be free.  
  
<"This may be more complicated than I'd thought..."> Mystery advanced, his form shifting until he was no longer a small dog but a massive white and red fox with many tails. If the talking and introduction hadn't clued Arthur into the fact that the Not-Dog wasn't of the natural world, this would have provided all the proof in the world. It was easier to trust the humans when they had such a creature with them. <"May I touch it? And I must ask, may _Vivi_ touch it? She's a mage and may be able to reverse what has been done if I can identify the specifics of your curse,"> Mystery said, stopping a few feet away. Arthur was scared, but if they could break the curse... He let out a soft sigh, then nodded. Mystery seemed to smile. <"Thank you for trusting us."> That said, Mystery finished his approach and sat down, his tails coiling forward.  
  
The fox did not use paws or teeth to touch him like Arthur had been afraid would happen. Instead, two fluffy tails brushed the surface of his anchor. It was a ticklish, barely-there feeling and Arthur relaxed into it, watching with half-lidded amber eyes. Mystery's eyes were closed, but Arthur was still able to tell that the fox was unsettled by something. "...what is it?" The tails moved away and Mystery huffed.  
  
<"This curse is unbreakable. I don't know what dark forces that mage called on to pull it off, but...">  
  
"...so I'm stuck here forever with a damaged anchor..." Arthur laughed bitterly.  
  
<"...not necessarily..."> Mystery replied slowly. <"There's still something that can be done. Unbreakable doesn't mean it isn't _unchangable_... which means you have a choice to make."> The words caused Arthur to brighten, though the hope in his eyes was only tentative.  
  
"Okay. So what are my options?" the ghost asked.  
  
<"Firstly, no matter what, we have to fix your anchor first. I think Lewis should be able to."> Mystery glanced back to Lewis.  
  
"I think so. I've been practising my healing, but I've never tried it on a ghost before." Lewis shrugged. He was clearly unsure but willing to try.  
  
"This... can be fixed?" Arthur asked quietly, voice small. He'd been so prepared to remain for the rest of forever with the pain of a cracked anchor.  
  
"I mean, I'm not sure? But I can try. May I come closer?" No one had ever asked Arthur what was okay or not before. These three were so respectful and he found himself actually trusting that he was safe with them. Silently, he gathered his anchor in his hands and held it out in offering. Lewis correctly interpreted his actions as permission and approached, kneeling on the floor in front of Arthur. "This, uh... might be a little startling and I apologize," the purple-haired man warned, reaching out. His hands cupped the grey, cracked star and then he closed his eyes, brows furrowing in concentration.  
  
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then Arthur registered a strange heat gathering around his anchor... right before Lewis' hands burst into pink flames. Arthur gasped in a needless breath of air as heat assailed him from his anchor, but then it settled out, leaving him just feeling warm. It felt like those times he'd leave his small home to bask in the light of the summer sun for a while and he relaxed into it. It felt good.  
  
Slowly, the warmth ebbed away, though not completely. Lewis was panting as if he'd been running. "I-it's done. I did it," he breathed, opening his cupped hands. Arthur opened his own eyes only to find himself startled at the sight that met his eyes. His anchor was undamaged, but beyond that, it was a shimmering gold that tinted magenta towards the edges and it pulsed to an unheard beat. Lewis was grinning, proud but exhausted.  
  
"You-" Arthur started, only to sigh, standing as he took the now-healed star back. It didn't hurt and the cold he'd forgotten was even a thing was completely gone. He'd forgotten what it was like to feel warm. "You need to rest. Please, come with me," he motioned for the trio to follow, then turned away to the sound of Vivi running over to join her friends. At Lewis' indignant yelp of, "I can walk, Mystery!" Arthur had to fight not to laugh as he turned to find Lewis sitting astride the fox as if it were a horse. Was the fox bigger now? Maybe. It didn't matter as his guests were following.  
  
Arthur led them through the castle until he came to the guest hall. He opened the door to a lavish bedroom, everything in meticulous condition and perfectly clean. "You can rest here, Lewis. When you awaken, there's a sitting room down the hall a ways further. I will take Lady Vivi and Mystery there."  
  
"Are you sure it's okay for me to-...?" Lewis asked, but he was still carefully sliding from Mystery's back to stand on shaky legs. Arthur nodded.  
  
"Of course. I'm the caretaker here and you helped me," he said softly, motioning Lewis to the bed and even offering him a hand when it looked like the taller man's legs were going to give out on him. With Arthur and Mystery supporting him, Lewis made it to the bed, practically collapsing onto it. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Arthur looked satisfied with that and turned to lead Mystery and Vivi to a massive sitting room.  
  
The room looked like it was fit for royalty and Vivi had stars in her eyes as she looked around. Tapestries lined the walls and the furniture looked lavish and plush. It was all clean and as immaculate as if it were all brand new instead of centuries old. "Please, have a seat," Arthur said, motioning to the seating. Only once Vivi and Mystery were comfortable did he take a seat as well.  
  
"You... said I had choices?" Arthur asked, attention focused on Mystery. Vivi, too, was looking at the fox who dipped his massive head in a nod.  
  
<"You do... though you may not like any of them."> The fox sighed, resting his head on his paws. <"The first option is, of course, for you to remain here as a caretaker for the castle. Vivi and I can set up wards to keep anyone with negative intent away so you never have to go through that again.">  
  
"If that were my only option, that'd be nice. If those wards would be as permanent as I am, that would mean anyone who is able to come here would be safe to interact with..." Arthur commented and Mystery nodded.  
  
<"The second, and much more difficult option would be to transfer the target of your curse,"> Mystery said. <"You would no longer be bound _here_ , but to wherever the new target of your curse is... but there are certain... issues with that.">  
  
"And those are?"  
  
<"The current target is the entire castle and everything in it, correct?"> Arthur nodded. <"That's... big. Very big. The new target has to be equivalent to that or the curse could very well hurt you.">  
  
"...oh. That's... heh, I guess that would be hard..." Arthur slumped. So much for the hope of gaining any sort of freedom...  
  
"Would a magic item work? Something powerful, but that's small enough to carry?" Vivi asked thoughtfully.  
  
<"Depending on how powerful that object is... yes,"> Mystery replied, nodding thoughtfully.  
  
"Okay." Vivi nodded. "Okay, yeah, this could work. I'll need to talk to Lewis about it, though. Technically it belongs to him..." the blunette laughed sheepishly and Mystery's brows shot way up.  
  
<"I didn't think about that, but yes, that would work.">  
  
"...what is it?" Arthur asked, curious. Vivi grinned.  
  
"Okay, so... Lewis is a bit of an interesting case. He wasn't born with magic like I was. It was given to him along with a task. A guardianship, if you will," Vivi explained. "His duty is to protect a sanctuary for spirits. Anything that is lost or too weak to protect itself in the outside world. Even some of Mystery's young kin live there. The gateway is a small orb sealed in a locket and it might be possible to transfer your curse to the sanctuary. If I'm correct, you should be able to live in the sanctuary or outside it as long as you remain close to the gate."  
  
<"Worst case, you're stuck inside the sanctuary, but you wouldn't be alone. The manor has plenty of occupants, some permanent residents and some that come and go. You also wouldn't be alone in taking care of it. It's an important place, so all who reside there play a part in its upkeep."> Mystery added, smiling.  
  
"You think that would work?" Arthur asked quietly.  
  
<"If Lewis agrees, of course. But it would definitely work. From what I understand of your curse, your duty is to care for the target and all that reside within. If your target is the gateway, that would mean everything inside would be under your care. However, any compulsion you have currently would likely be almost non-existent as the world inside the sanctuary has been self-sufficient for as long as its existed,"> Mystery said with a grin.  
  
"That's... so what you're saying is, as long as I remain close to the gateway or inside it... I'd basically be free...?" Arthur asked, voice shaking. Mystery nodded.  
  
<"And with my agreement to take on the burden of guardianship for the sanctuary once Lewis is no longer able to, your freedom would last as long as I live.">  
  
"And Mystery is functionally immortal, so as long as no one kills him... which I'm pretty sure would be... difficult to say the least... he'll be around forever," Vivi said with a wide grin. Arthur let out a tiny, incredulous laugh. He almost couldn't believe it. That he could be functionally free of his curse, even if it was unbreakable, seemed so impossible... but here were Vivi and Mystery, telling him that he could have that.  
  
"If-... if Lewis agrees, I'd love the second option," Arthur said, smiling hopefully.  
  
"Right then. Once Lew's up, we'll talk to him about it."  


\----

Arthur was almost shocked at how quickly Lewis agreed and produced his charge. The locket was a little bigger than expected and shone a pretty, delicate gold colour, but it was still so small. It seemed improbable that his curse could be transferred to something that size... but Lewis and Vivi were now standing close together, Lewis holding the gateway and Vivi holding his anchor. Ice-blue magic coiled like frost around his anchor, but it didn't feel cold. Then it slowly spread over her hands and to Lewis' before coiling around the locket in his hands.  
  
Something was- Arthur seized up, his entire form crackling with lightning as pain arced over every inch of him. It felt like he was being torn apart. <"Lewis!"> Mystery barked, but Arthur didn't hear him over the sheer agony. The only thing he could think before he blacked out was, '...of course it wouldn't be that easy...'  


\----

Arthur came to with a soft moan. Every inch of his body hurt and his anchor throbbed with pain, but not in the same way as when it was cracked. It felt different.  
  
"Are you okay?" someone asked. The voice was one he'd never heard before, so he forced himself to open his eyes. In front of him was a small child in a fluffy dress. Her hair was braided with two bows. And to top it off, she was transparent. "Mister Mystery asked me to keep an eye on you. He said to tell you that it worked. I'm not sure what that means, but you've been asleep for a long time," she said.  
  
"...everything hurts..." Arthur admitted, though it was fading now, thankfully. When he looked down, his anchor was pulsing steadily, just as it had been when he'd let Vivi take it, only now there was a softer white-blue colour right in the center, barely noticeable. If he hadn't been looking for anomalies, he wouldn't have seen it at all. "Where am I?"  
  
"You're in your room in Sanctuary, Mister," the girl said. "Can you walk? Mister Mystery said that I should guide you to the exit when you woke up."  
  
"...I think so." Arthur took a deep breath, bracing himself before swinging his legs out of the bed. "...I'm Arthur. What's your name?" he asked as he stood up. He felt shakey at first, but that subsided quickly, disappearing as surely as the pain had faded down to a barely-there ache.  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Mister Arthur. I'm Mirabelle. I live here in Sanctuary with my sisters, Emily and Lucia. Miss Vivi, Mister Lewis, and Mister Mystery saved us from being eaten and let us stay here. Are you going to live here now, too?" Mirabelle asked, smiling up at Arthur.  
  
"...I think so, yes. And if I'm not here, I won't be far from the gate," Arthur replied, following as Mirabelle led the way out of the room and through the manor. Somehow, he knew the way even though the manor seemed to be a maze of halls and rooms. The longer he was awake, the more he seemed to be aware of... everything about the sanctuary and how many people were there. The place felt huge, bigger than even the castle had been. Far, far bigger... There was a tugging, telling him something ten halls down needed care, but then the feeling was gone, taken care of quicker than he could react.  
  
That small event brought a slow, dawning realization. It had worked. It had really worked. His curse had transferred to the Sanctuary. The place felt so _alive_ and even if he couldn't leave, he'd never be lonely again.  
  
Mirabelle led him outside, keeping up a constant stream of conversation and introducing Arthur to everyone they came across. Ghosts and helpful spirits alike. Even three little foxes with one tail each that looked like mini clones of Mystery.  
  
The outside of the building was likewise bustling with life. Grasslands and a dense forest took up the outside of the massive building and Arthur realized with a start that the land outside the building fell under his new domain, too. "Here's the exit, Mister Arthur," Mirabelle said, tugging on his hand to get his attention, then pointed to a gate. It was a standing archway that looked out of place. On the other side, he only saw forest. Well, until he squinted and tilted his head. There was a faint shimmer in the air filling the arch.  
  
"...okay, here goes nothing..." Arthur breathed, then reached out. His hand went through and nothing seemed to be repelling him. He grinned. "See you later, Mirabelle." And then he walked through.  
  
On the other side of the gate was a dim, cramped space. It rumbled under his feet in a disconcerting way and he yelped, dropping to the ground. Was this an earthquake?! Something made a loud screech sound and then there was surprised yelling. Arthur cowered until he realized that the voices belonged to Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery. He uncovered his head and gingerly looked up, shooting the trio a nervous smile. "Uh... hi?"  
  
"You're okay!" Vivi laughed happily, launching herself over a strange divider and straight into Arthur, who was sent tumbling back onto something soft. "By everything sacred, you scared us so much!"  
  
"Wh-what happened, anyway?" Arthur asked nervously.  
  
<"What's the last thing you remember before waking up in your room?"> Mystery asked in return.  
  
"Uh... Lady Vivi was using her magic.... and then..." Arthur winced at the memory, feeling phantom pains. "It felt like I was being torn apart." Vivi and Mystery both winced. "And then I think I blacked out? Because I don't remember anything up to waking up with that little girl hovering over me."  
  
"...understandable, really. Probably better that way. I almost withdrew my magic when you started sparking and screaming," Vivi said with a wince. "I, uh... wasn't strong enough on my own to successfully move your curse. Mystery had to run support and even then... I was worried sick that I'd caused irreversible damage to you," she explained, looking like she was about to cry. "We were just lucky Lewis was there to keep you stable."  
  
"It wasn't that bad, Vi. You and Mystery were doing just fine. Only thing I could do was take the edge off. It was rough, but it worked," Lewis said, glancing back over his shoulder for a moment before facing forwards again. "You doing okay? Nothing wrong?"  
  
"I'm fine. I was aching a bit when I woke up, but not anymore," Arthur replied, rubbing Vivi's back. "Thank you, Lady Vivi, for freeing me from the castle."  
  
"You're welcome... but if I ever figure out time travel magic, I'm going back in time and beating the snot out of the asshole who laid that curse on you!" Vivi snapped, then sat up and fixed Arthur with a teary, but serious look. "And you... you can cut it out with that 'Lady Vivi' stuff. It's just Vivi. We're friends now, so there's no need to hold me at arm's length!" She then grinned. "We're gonna show you the world, Artie."  
  
Arthur's eyes widened, wonder dawning bright in his mind. This was real. Sure, he was still tightly bound to the target of his curse, but as it could go anywhere with its owner, so too could Arthur. He was _free_.  


\----

"Hey, can we go to this place next?" Arthur asked, pointing to a spot on a digital map. He was grinning widely, eyes and anchor bright and filling the air with energy that made the hair on Vivi and Lewis' arms stand on end. It had been six years since they freed him from the castle and Arthur never failed to amaze the rest of the group. He was also the only ghost they had ever met that didn't cause any of their gear to go haywire, making him an ideal companion on their frequent road trips.  
  
Not to mention he was apparently a genius who's brains had been absolutely wasted, trapped in a castle for several thousand years. He'd taken to current technology with gusto, learning everything he could and, beyond that, becoming intimate with the inner workings of the Mystery Skulls van when it broke down in the middle of nowhere during their first big trip together.  
  
Vivi still wanted to go back in time and beat the snot out of the mage who'd done Arthur so wrong... but now, she was also somewhat grateful for him. Perhaps Arthur would have been born again in this time if he hadn't been so tightly bound by his curse... but on the other hand, they might have never met him. She was glad they had. They all were, and the inhabitants of Sanctuary also loved him. The blunette smiled, leaning back as she listened to Arthur, Lewis, and Mystery engage in an animated conversation about the location he wanted to go to. She'd do her own research on the place later and collect some jobs for the Skulls to fund the expedition, but they'd go.  
  
As promised, they were showing their friend the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those curious on where Shiromori is in this world, Mystery WAS hiding from her with the Yukino family and she DID chase him down for his blood, but they came to an understanding before anyone could come to harm in the fight. She brought Mystery's young kin with her and she's their caretaker in Sanctuary. Basically acts as a foster mother for them. She was taking a nap when Arthur passed by, trusting that the kits would be fine and that some of the other spirits or ghosts would keep the babies inside the manor while she rested. Technically, they all live in the forest outside the manor given that all of them are nature spirits, but the manor (which is alive, in a sense) gave them all rooms inside should they want the space. Sanctuary shrinks and grows as needed.
> 
> Arthur is constantly feeling little tugs, but he mostly learns to ignore them over time (due to the residents taking care of things before he really had a chance to properly react), unless something big was happening inside that absolutely needed his attention. If there's danger outside, Lewis lets Arthur take the gate and store it inside his anchor to keep it extra safe, since the worst damage that can be done to it is some cracks that Lewis can heal. It's basically the perfect shield.
> 
> As far as the castle Arthur was trapped in goes... well, it was Arthur's domain. Under his power, it was like it was frozen in time. The moment Arthur's curse was transferred, the castle started to show its true age. Mystery had to haul Vivi and Lewis outta there _really_ fast, as it started to crumble around them. They decide not to tell Arthur about that for fear that he might have regrets. He never goes back, happy to be as far away as possible from the place he was trapped for so long.
> 
> After Vivi and Lewis die, both of them become ghosts and take to living in Sanctuary with Arthur. Mystery takes over the care of Sanctuary, gaining the healing magic, too. _Technically,_ Sanctuary is supposed to remain under the care of humans, but they fudged the rules with the help of Arthur, who is a human spirit and somehow counts towards the human aspect of the caretaker. They have a theory that it's because Sanctuary's soul likes Arthur and wants him to retain his freedom and Mystery is more than happy to facilitate that whereas a new living human caretaker is unlikely to give Arthur even an illusion of freedom.
> 
> And I just realized... that while the prompt word inspired me, it's kinda nebulous and vague. Welp. I guess that's okay, though. lol


	29. Blossom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Mystery & Vivi, Mystery & Arthur, Mystery & Lewis, Lewis & Vivi, hints of Lewis/Arthur  
> Tags: ~Post-Canon. ~Mostly Mystery-centric. ~Sequel to Gloves and Snow. ~Vivi gets her head on straight. ~Baby Mystery. ~Service 'dog' Mystery. ~Anxious Arthur doesn't deal well with planes or crowds. ~Generic medical company name.

Sometimes, Mystery hated his binding to the Yukino family. He hated being stranded in a strange land that was so incompatible with his own natural magic and, most strongly, he missed his forest. It had been so very long since he'd been there, though, that the land that had once held the youkai forest had been taken over with human homes, a forest of houses replacing the trees. Still, he wished for home now, more than ever. Since that fight with Shiromori and the demon that had destroyed the lives of his kits had taken him over, he'd been forced to reset his life in order to save his kits from himself. As a kitsune child, he was useless to the demon and it had fled. Mystery had taken great satisfaction in seeing Lewis finally take his revenge on the correct target, burning the demon out of existence.  
  
However, that really hadn't been the end of things. There was no way to get back what he'd willingly thrown away except for time itself. Perhaps if he'd been in his homeland, the process of recovery would be faster, but he wouldn't ask Vivi to take him home. It was doubtful she'd understand. And besides that, asking her to take him home without any sort of training to control her awakened magic could lead to terrifying results should her own power be effected by returning to the homeland.  
  
And even if that wasn't a consideration, there was still Arthur and Lewis. They were just as much his kits as Vivi by now and he didn't want to leave them behind, either. He may have been absolutely useless spiritually, but his mind was still sharp and he could afford them with knowledge going out.  
  
...if Arthur wasn't still afraid of him and if Vivi would stop being so cruel to her ex. It was all such a disaster and Mystery had no idea what to do about it.  


\----

Vivi looked somewhat panicked, Arthur's metal arm draped over her shoulder and Lewis' Deadbeats practically carrying the rest of him. The small one that tended to be perpetually sad was carrying Lewis' anchor, and Mystery sat up, alarmed. Vivi didn't even seem to notice him, focused entirely on Arthur as she was. She looked like she was on the verge of tears and so Mystery followed, worried.  
  
Once she had Arthur safely tucked into bed with the Deadbeats draped all over him, she reached for the locket. Her fingers only barely brushed it before all five of the little pink ghosts were hissing and snarling at her. "O-okay, okay, I won't," she said, placatingly as she backed up. The little ghosts didn't stop hissing until Vivi was entirely out of the room. Mystery cocked his head at them, and they relaxed once she was gone.  
  
<"I don't think Lewis wants you to treat her as the enemy. She was just trying to help,"> Mystery said softly.  
  
<"Not help. Hurt,"> the smallest Deadbeat scoffed, coiling around the locket protectively. <"Hurt much. Hurt lots. Many, many times.">  
  
<"She didn't know she was hurting him,"> Mystery sighed, shaking his head. Whisps. So unreasonable.  
  
<"Nearly broke master. Master hurt deep. Nearly faded. Hurt intentional. Hurt unintentional. Doesn't matter. Still hurt bad. Master loves Mean Blue still. Mean Blue does not love master."> Mystery winced, ears going back as the Deadbeat's song ranged into screeching violin instead of humming and trilling. The deadbeat seemed to notice and gentled it's song, though it was still angry, clearly.  
  
<"I know. This situation is... difficult, to say the least. I shall talk to her and hope maybe she'll be willing to listen now,"> Mystery said, smiling slightly. Then the Deadbeat let out a smug trill.  
  
<"Yellow Love yelled at Mean Blue. Made Mean Blue regret,"> they sang, voice switching to a pleased humming.  
  
<"...Arthur yelled at Vivi?"> The Deadbeat trilled an affirmative. <"Well then. Perhaps that will have knocked some sense into my headstrong kit. Arthur only gets mad on behalf of other people, and he doesn't yell,"> Mystery said with a huffed half-laugh. She was going to be a mess, but if he were being honest, she rather deserved getting yelled at by the blond, and it probably would have been more effective than him scolding her. He was kinda glad Lewis made him promise to leave the situation alone. <"If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on Vivi. Make sure she understands that she needs to find a way to make up for this."> The Deadbeats all trilled, making shooing motions. Mystery laughed softly, then turned to follow Vivi finally.  
  
When he found her, she was sitting at the kitchen island, staring blankly down at the counter. He was sure he hadn't made a sound, but she looked up at him anyway, tears in her big blue eyes. "...I fucked up, Mystery," she whispered.  
  
The kitsune sighed, coming to sit near her. <"I suppose you did. But there's plenty of time to make things right if you want to make that effort. Whatever happened, I'm sure you'll be forgiven if you make the effort to fix your mistakes,"> he said, then stood again and nose Vivi's hip. <"You should get something to eat and then go to bed. It looks like Arthur won't be up any time soon, and I'm sure neither of the boys would be happy to see you looking so ragged.">  
  
"...okay..." She sighed, standing up. Mystery watched as she made herself a chicken ceaser salad, dumping a generous portion of chicken on another plate that she laid down on the floor for him before returning to her seat with her dinner. Mystery happily snapped up the offered food, then sat vigil over Vivi.  
  
She barely ate, nor did she rest, and when morning came and Arthur immerged from his old room, Vivi was looking even more like a wreck. Arthur shot down his offer to help Lewis before he could even voice it and Mystery sulked, feeling betrayed by having been called out so bluntly over reducing himself to a baby.  
  
But it couldn't be helped.  


\----

Months passed and Mystery was pleased to see Vivi making an effort to actually treat Lewis like a person and not a threat. She still slipped up every now and then, but Lewis forgave her every time. Especially when she was the one to offer to fix the damage she caused for the first time. Leaving Arthur to clean up after her messes was clearly bothering her.  
  
And to make things better, with her no longer holding Lewis at arm's length, her memory was returning faster. Mystery was glad of it, even though flashes of memory sometimes interrupted his magic lessons. And in that, Vivi was also improving. Control of her power came slowly but surely, and soon enough, she was as close to an expert as a mortal who'd just come into her power could be. Mystery was proud of her and so were Arthur and Lewis.  
  
While Vivi was flourishing, Mystery, on the other hand, was not. There was nothing for him in this land. Where Vivi had some ties thanks to her mother that allowed her to draw on the land's power to fuel her own, Mystery found himself increasingly incompatible. Before he'd sacrificed his power to protect his kits, he'd had enough natural magic that he could process the land's power into something he could use. Now, though, it was basically impossible.  
  
"Hey, Mystery?" Lewis poked the kitsune, pulling him out of his worried thoughts.  
  
<"Yes, Lewis?"> he asked, looking around. The pair of them were alone in the van. <"Where are Vivi and Arthur?">  
  
"Gone to fetch breakfast for themselves and you," Lewis replied, then shook his head. "Look, I'm gonna be blunt as Arthur can only keep Vivi away from the van for so long and she hasn't picked up on anything being wrong yet. Mystery, are you dying?"  
  
<"What? No, of course not,"> Mystery said quickly. <"Not dying, no. Well... not in the same sense as a mortal, anyway."> He sighed, dropping his head to his paws. <"...fading would be the more appropriate term. I maybe have a couple of years left. You must not tell Vivi, though. I kept your secret, so I beg you keep mine. I do not want her to worry for me when there is very little that can be done.">  
  
"Fine. I won't tell her. Good luck cornering Art into making the same promise, though. He noticed something wrong and I've been talking to him about it," Lewis said, shaking his head. "You said very little can be done. What are your options?"  
  
<"Vivi's magic is close enough to that of the homeland that she can keep me healthy enough just by being close. I can also accept boosts from people that I am close to, even if our natural magic would normally be incompatible. Yours is... probably the most compatible due to being a spirit. But that would only work if I need to use my power,"> Mystery said slowly. <"The only other thing is... returning home. But I won't ask that of any of you.">  
  
Lewis snorted. "Like you even have to ask! Vi's been wanting to go to Japan for _ages_ , Myst. I'll keep your situation from Vivi, but I'm going to talk to Arthur about springing a surprise vacation on Vivi. A trip out of the country would be fun, anyway, and that we're doing it for you makes it even better," the ghost said, ruffling the fluffy fur between Mystery's ears.  


\----

 _One year and two months later..._ Even stuck inside a flying metal tube, Mystery could feel the natural magic of the homeland washing over him. He shivered, fur trying to fluff under his service dog vest as he basked in it. Already, he was starting to feel better and it had nothing to do with Lewis' magic that he'd borrowed to be able to shapeshift into a more dog-like form.  
  
Vivi was staring out the window when he looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Oh wow, look Artie! You can see land!" she gushed. Arthur chuckled nervously, gripping Mystery's leash tightly in one hand, the other clutching at Lewis' anchor, which was disguised as a pendant that Arthur was wearing, and the kitsune was glad for his service dog certification more than he'd ever been before. Who knew Arthur was so terrified of flying? And yet, he'd stayed on that plane with them, shooting Mystery a tight smile. This was for him, and Arthur wasn't going to back out.  
  
The plane coming in for a landing was a huge relief. Vivi got them through customs and thankfully she was registered to handle Arthur's stuff for him, too, as the blond was looking to be one wrong word from a complete melt down. Once they were through, Mystery took charge, pulling on his leash to guide the two humans to a quiet corner to let Arthur decompress a little.  
  
"Th-thanks, Mystery," Arthur whispered once they'd pulled away from the crowds.  
  
<"You're welcome. Vivi, I hate to ask, but do you think you can handle getting the luggage on your own?"> Mystery asked, looking at her from his spot cuddled into Arthur's side, his tail swished over the blond's lap where it was getting pet in a motion that was soothing to both human and kitsune.  
  
"Oh, yeah, of course!" Vivi chirped. "I'll be back in a bit. You hold tight, Artie, okay?"  
  
"Y-y-yeah. I h-have Myst'ry and L-lew... I'll- I'll be o-okay," Arthur managed, hand leaving Mystery's tail for a moment to tap the locket. Lewis couldn't come out until they found a more secluded location, but he was still there and the boys were closer than they'd ever been, so Mystery suspected that Lewis was talking to Arthur.  
  
Vivi nodded, then disappeared into the crowded airport. Mystery sighed in contentment. Being here felt good and he was grateful to the boys for orchestrating this. <"Are you sure you're okay, Arthur?">  
  
"Y-yeah. I j-j-j-just, um... need s-some time... and may-maybe a nap?" He then yawned widely as if to prove a point. Mystery heard Lewis laugh softly, the sound bypassing his ears to hit his mind directly. It was warm and fond and directed mostly at Arthur with just enough range to reach Mystery, too.  
  
<"Good. As soon as Vivi returns, we should look for a place for Lewis to come out, then locate our ride to the apartment. Vivi is like to be tired after such a long trip, as well. I know I certainly am.>  
  
"...are you... are y-you fe-feeling better, though?" Arthur asked, leaning a bit into Mystery, who nuzzled Arthur's cheek.  
  
<"I am. Thank you. Both of you.">  
  
When Vivi returned finally, she was hauling a luggage cart, her blue suitcases and Arthur's orange and yellow striped ones stacked neatly on top of the cart. "Phew, I forgot how much stuff we brought! I still can't believe we get to stay here for long enough to need all this stuff!" she said, grinning brightly.  
  
Arthur smiled. "Y-yeah. N-not all f-f-fun and games, th-though," he replied, hauling himself to his feet.  
  
"Well, yeah. It's still amazing, though! I can still hardly believe you managed to get hired by Nihon Med Co. I'm still not sure how you managed to sneak that behind my back," Vivi said with a laugh.  
  
"L-lew helped me s-set it up. Talked with, uh... Mr. Yoshida f-for me when- when I c-couldn't... Um... s-speaking of Lew..." Arthur trailed off, then after a moment, took off the locket and carefully held it out to Vivi. "C-could you, um..."  
  
"Find a quiet, out of the way space for Lew where he won't be caught on camera?"  
  
"Y-yeah, that." Arthur laughed nervously and Vivi's smile gentled.  
  
"Yeah, I can do that," she replied, carefully cupping her hands under the locket. She looked happy that Lewis trusted her enough to handle his anchor. Once she had it, she hurried off, disappearing into the crowd. Arthur leaned against the wall, one hand on the luggage cart, the other stritching the back of Mystery's ears gently while they waited. Mystery suspected that it would be a while before Vivi and Lewis returned. Arthur looked a tad more anxious without Lewis there, and so Mystery barked quietly to get Arthur's attention, then coiled his tail around the blond's ankles, prompting a laugh.  
  
<"Are you really going to be okay with this job?">  
  
"Y-yeah. I'll h-have you, Vi, and Lew therem s-so, I think I'll b-be okay," Arthur said quietly, scritching a little harder. Sometimes, Mystery wished he'd taken the form of a cat so he could purr at Arthur. Instead, he pressed his head harder into Arthur's hand and opened his mouth in a doggy smile.  


\----

Arthur sunk gratefully onto the couch as soon as they'd made it into the fully furnished apartment. It'd been provided for the four of them by the medical company he and Lewis had dealt with via email and phone, and Arthur still could hardly believe the plan he'd come up with had worked. Yeah, sure, his arm was amazing, but coming to work in Japan to assist with building and installing prosthetics for people was nothing short of a miracle.  
  
But he hadn't wanted Mystery to fade, so he'd managed. Lewis helping had made it easier, but even if he hadn't been there to help, Arthur still would have done it some how. And now they were here. Mystery was already looking less worn and more energetic, having dropped his dog disguise as soon as they were safely inside.  
  
"Art, you can't sleep there," Lewis said, his voice cutting through Arthur's sleep-hazed thoughts. The blond grumbled half-heartedly at his best friend and Lewis laughed, coming around to scoop Arthur up. "Come on, sleepy-head. You've had a very long trip and need to sleep if we're gonna be meeting Mr. Yoshida in the morning." Arthur didn't protest, so Lewis took the blond into one of the small bedrooms. The apartment was compact and Lewis was very glad he was a ghost. He could retreat into his anchor and let Arthur carry him around when they were at home.  


\----

The next morning was a rush of meetings and Arthur was in his element. Talking about mechanical and electrical stuff and ignoring everyone until they had questions made him able to go on without stuttering at all until he was sagging in exhaustion. Mystery barked and that prompted Lewis and Vivi to call for a break. Honestly, Mystery was proud of his kits, and especially Arthur. Even if this trip had been prompted by him, and Arthur probably would have chickened out if Mystery hadn't needed to come back to the homeland to get his strength back, Arthur was still doing an amazing thing. He watched as Lewis helped him reattach his prosthetic as various men and woman watched with curiousity. One of them asked if he always needed help with his prosthetic.  
  
"N-no. Normally, I can- I can get it on by m-myself," Arthur answered, shaking his head. "L-lewis is a-" he was cut off, hand leaving the clasp he was working on tightening to slap a hand over his mouth as he yawned.  
  
"Lewis is a worrier and we only arrived last night, so Arthur is tired," Vivi finished for him with a laugh. "Arthur designed that thing so it was easy to get on and off with one hand."  
  
"W-well, normally I have a-a stand th-that my arm rests on..." Arthur admitted, shrugging with his right shoulder as he finished with the last clasp, relaxing slightly as he flexed his metal fingers, testing the connections. As they had when he'd first come into the room, everyone seemed to be in awe of how well the prosthetic functioned, even after listening to Arthur happily go on about it for several hours. Mystery sighed and barked again, cutting everyone off before Arthur could get going again as he seemed to be gearing up for. Honestly, that boy.  
  
Lewis chuckled. "Okay, I think Mystery's trying to say you need to eat and take a break, Art. Come on."  
  
"A-ah, yeah," Arthur laughed sheepishly. "S-sorry."  
  
"Oh, no, of course. This meeting has gone well, so I think we can put off anymore until next week, Mr. Kingsmen," a well dressed man said, standing up.  
  
"Th-thank you, Mr. Yoshida," Arthur replied, following suit.  
  
Soon enough, everyone was filing out of the confrence room, quiet, eager chatter between collegues filling the space.  


\----

The train was filled with quiet conversation, but Mystery's kits were all quiet, watching the scenery race by outside the window. They'd been here for a few months now, and Mystery could see them all happily settling in. Between the job Arthur had gotten here in order to allow them to stay and for Mystery to recover, they tended to travel, exploring the country. Today, they were going... somewhere that Arthur wouldn't say, actually. He'd taken charge for once and wouldn't tell any of the group where they were going. He'd even bought the tickets for them all while Vivi went to get bento boxes for them all.  
  
By the time they all got off the train, it was well past midday and that explained the overnight bag Arthur had gotten Vivi to pack. The spring air was warm and cherry trees were everywhere, leaving pink petals scattered on the ground outside the station. It was lovely, but Arthur seemed to have a goal, leading them through the small town they'd stopped in with a sense of purpose. He clearly knew exactly where he was going.  
  
...oh. Mystery stared in shock as they cleared the final houses. This far from the cities, or course it was still possible... <"Arthur..."> He grinned, leaning down to unclip Mystery's leash and remove the service dog vest.  
  
"Go on, enjoy it. We've got a while before we have to get home," Arthur said, patting Mystery on the head. Mystery grinned, then took off into the forest, shedding his dog disguise as he did so. Two tails unfurled as he disappeared into the treeline.  


\----

Vivi could be slow at times, and she would be the first to admit it, but she couldn't believe she hadn't realized what was going on when Arthur brought up the trip to her. Arthur never did anything for himself... and taking on a massive trip like this wouldn't have been something he'd have considered, even for her. This had all been for Mystery. Mystery, who'd given up so much to keep them safe. "Arthur?"  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"Why did we come to Japan? I thought, at first, that you'd set this up because I wanted to come to the country I was born in, but now... Mystery's got two tails. He was suffering back in the states, wasn't he? And I had no clue," Vivi was staring at the ground, only to startle when Lewis' huge hand pat her on the shoulder.  
  
"We've been keeping so many secrets. When Mystery comes back tomorrow, I think maybe we should have a talk as a group," he suggested, glancing at Arthur, who nodded.  
  
"Yeah, we probably should. I will say that Mystery wasn't suffering as far as I could tell, though. I think you of all people would have noticed if he was. He was weakened severely, but healthy regardless," Arthur said. Vivi nodded. That clocked, but still...  
  
He seemed so much better since they came to Japan, and it took seeing that second tail for her to notice. It made her feel guilty. Was she so self-absorbed that she'd lost track of the people that meant the most to her? It really seemed to be the case. She'd hurt Lewis and Arthur. She'd clearly missed just how rough of a condition Mystery was in. Whether he was suffering or not, would she have noticed?  
  
Letting out a deep breath into the warm spring air, she looked up to the sky and swore she'd do better from now on. For her boys and for Mystery, she had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut it off there because I couldn't find a good stopping point, and between that and the fact that I keep passing out randomly, I was almost late posting this. orz


	30. Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~No one dies AU. ~Fluff and Angst. ~Mostly non-verbal Arthur, though he still winds up talking (and stuttering) quite a bit. Mostly because he feels relaxed enough around just Lewis and Vivi that his stutter doesn't make him more anxious. ~In which Canon!Lewis and Canon!Vivi are kinda insensitive dicks to Canon!Arthur, actually. ~Be good to Arthur 2k20. ~References to canon character death/blood and possession. ~Lewis and Vivi love Arthur and he loves them. ~Mystery is 'just a dog' (or at least acting the part. His kits have no idea what he is and have no reason to find out).

_"Come on, Art. It'll be fine, I promise."_  
  
_"Hey, Art! Look at this view!"_  
  
_Green. His arm was-!_  
  
_So much green. In the walls. In the air. Under his skin. Like emeralds were sick. Makes no sense._  
  
_Darkness. Body frozen, but moving._  
  
_Green hand, purple back. Purple chest. **Lewis.**_  
  
_Red! So much red! Screaming!_  
  
_Something tearing. Pain. So much pain._  
  
Arthur woke with a sharp scream, bolting up in bed and his blankets flying in his panic. "Whoa, Art, you okay?" Lewis asked, eyes wide as he pulled over to the side of the road, peering worriedly back at Arthur with the use of the rearview mirror.  
  
"I- nn... B-b-b-b-bad dream... m-maybe..." Arthur managed, trying not to hyperventilate as he sat hunched over.  
  
"Was it one of _those_ dreams?" Vivi questioned, concerned but also excited at the possibility of Arthur having had one of his really weird dreams again. The ones that seemed to give hints to something bad happening. Arthur made a sound that wasn't confirmation or denial, unsure. "Okay, well... write down what you remember." The blunette handed him a notebook and a pencil, which Arthur took gratefully as Lewis climbed over the back of the bench seat and into the back with Arthur, Vivi, and Mystery.  
  
The mechanic wrote quickly, scrawling in what he remembered, then stared. It was so disjointed and he groaned and turned the page, writing, 'Why is it always like this???'  
  
"Dunno. Maybe all prophetic dreams are like that?" Lewis asked, leaning over Arthur's shoulder to read. "Though... I think this is the worst one I've seen yet. And I'm really not liking that it seems like the me in your dream just brushed off your worries... Seems like dream me is kinda a jerk," he said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Well, that puts a point in favour of it _not_ being one of _those_ dreams. Still, maybe we should avoid gr-... oh. Oh no... Green? _Emerald?_ " Vivi looked kinda sick at the thought she'd clearly just had.  
  
"Vi?" Arthur questioned.  
  
"...the next stop on our trip is nicknamed the 'Emerald Cave' because of the weird green reflections in the mist..." she said with a cringe. "Lots of people have disappeared around there..."  
  
"Well, maybe just do a drive by and not go in, then," Lewis suggested. "GPS says we're almost there, anyway, and we'll have to pass by to get home."  
  
"Artie? That sound okay to you?" Vivi asked. She had been really eager to see the cave, but darn it, she'd find a way to avoid it entirely if Arthur didn't want to go.  
  
'It's fine. If it was one of those dreams, then I think I'll know if I see the cave. Promise we won't go in, though?' Arthur wrote, glancing up at Vivi, then Lewis.  
  
"Promise," they both intoned at the same time. Mystery barked, seeming to agree, his tail wagging as he pushed himself into Arthur's lap, licking his chin.  
  
Arthur laughed, relaxing. 'Let's go, then.' He put the notebook down, then flopped back on the matress as Lewis and Vivi climbed up front. Mystery gave Arthur a few more doggy kisses before scrambling up to the front, planting himself between Lewis and Vivi for optimal pets. Arthur laughed again, getting up and sitting in the single seat behind the front bench seat of his van. With the promise from his friends, he felt way better about even the possibility of driving by the cave that may have featured in a dream he barely remembered anymore.  
  
It was another fifteen minutes before the van rolled to a stop and the three humans plus one dog hopped out. The cave was a dark maw, impossible to see into, though there was mist at ankle height that seemed to roll from inside the cave. It wasn't green. Arthur breathed as sigh of relief, leaning against the side of the van. "N-not green," he whispered, reaching down to pet Mystery's head.  
  
"It's okay, Artie?" Vivi asked.  
  
"M-maybe."  
  
"Think it's safe for me to go just inside with a torch to take some photos?" She held up the camera and an unlit torch. Arthur paused, then nodded slowly before signing, ["Take Mystery with you. Back in five minutes?"]  
  
"I'll time myself. Promise," Vivi replied, grabbing both a stop watch from their equipment bag and the matches. Lewis took the torch and lit it for her, then handed it back. "Thanks, Lew! You're the best!" she said as she stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss on the cheek. She then rushed over to Arthur, planting one on his cheek too, so he wouldn't feel left out. "I'll be back soon." Then she was off, rushing over to the mouth of the cave.  
  
The light from the torch lit up the mouth of the cave and Arthur froze in fear. "V-vivi!" he called out. She stopped in the middle of switching on the stopwatch and turned to to look at Arthur, who was wide-eyed and trembling. It was then that she noticed. The mist had turned green in the light. Oh.  
  
"Well, so much for that," Vivi said with a soft laugh. They'd have to get a new torch to replace this one, but that was okay. Arthur was more important than some stupid (probably extremely dangerous) cave. The mist looked toxic, anyway. Stepping back, she quickly fiddled with the camera settings to take burst shots, then chucked the torch as hard as she could into the cave and pressed the shutter button, only letting go when the torch light was snuffed out by the heavy mist. "Good enough," she muttered with a nod, then turned back to the van. "Okay, let's go home." The look of relief on Arthur's face made skipping the cave worth it. She hated seeing him truly terrified, anyway. Dream Vivi and Lewis were a couple of bitches for making Arthur (even if it wasn't _her_ Artie) go in there.  


\----

The sight of home (the one he shared with Lewis, Vivi, and Mystery, though his uncle's place would have been perfect, too) was a huge relief. Arthur was exhausted and just wanted to park, haul some gear in, then crash. He hated being as scared as that cave had made him. It always left him feeling wiped out as if he'd been running a marathon. Vivi, meanwhile, looked giddy. She'd be up all night reviewing evidence, most likely. Then she'd sleep until noon and somehow go to bed at a decent hour so she'd be fine for work the next day. Arthur didn't know how she did it.  
  
"Hey, Art... you should just get to bed. Vi and I can handle getting the equipment hauled in. You can help me put it all away in the morning while Vi's snoring," Lewis said, grinning as Vi smacked him playfully on the arm.  
  
"I do not snore! You're the one that saws logs all night!" she exclaimed, causing Arthur to laugh. They both snored. And loudly, too. They also both knew it, but the banter never failed to make him laugh. God, he loved them both so much.  
  
"O-okay. I'll s-s-sleep..." Arthur agreed. There was no point arguing about it and he really could do his part of clean up in the morning, anyway. It was his job to maintain not only the van, but their equipment. If anything broke, there was no question on whether he could fix it or not.  
  
"Good," Vivi chirped.  
  
As soon as they'd pulled into the garage, Arthur was shooed off to bed, Mystery tagging along with him.  


\----

The next morning, Arthur came out to see Lewis and Vivi sitting around a laptop, the one Vivi favoured for reviewing evidence. Both of them looked extremely pale, which was truly a feat and a half for Lewis, who's dark skin made it really hard to gain that kind of look. Arthur cleared his throat, and when they looked up, he signed, ["What's wrong?"]  
  
"Ah... so..." Vivi started, swallowing. "I was reviewing the photos I took of the cave entrance and..." She hesitated and Arthur raised a brow. The sheer terror of the dream and seeing the green mist in the mouth of the cave felt like distant things with them safe in their home, far from it. "I'm really, really glad I didn't go any further in than I did..." Vivi said quietly. "I'm, uh... gonna send the evidence to the client and suggest sealing the cave entrance."  
  
"W-what?" Arthur questioned, shocked. Vivi rarely ever went that far. Slowly, she turned the laptop towards him. The photo on the screen was odd. Darkness and fire-lit green warred for supremecy and Arthur squinted, leaning in close. There was something there, partly lit by the fire. Some inhuman form in the mist. Green eyes glinted at him and he stumbled back, feeling like he was somehow being stared at.  
  
"Saw it, huh?" Lewis asked, cringing. "We think the mist may have actually been that... _thing._ And it's likely the reason so many people have vanished in the area."  
  
["Felt like it was staring at me from the photo,"] Arthur signed in a rush, to shaken to even attempt speaking aloud.  
  
"Yeah. Might have been, in all honestly. We've been trying not to meet its eyes," Vivi admitted. "Even if that's not the case, it's creepy as all hell and well beyond our pay grade," she quipped, trying for a joke, though it fell kinda flat.  
  
["Just a little bit. Be careful when sending the client those photos, though."] Vivi nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I've been editing the clearest ones for send off. That wasn't even the best shot of it. I'm not looking at that one again," Vivi admitted. "I wanna delete it, but if the client asks for it, I kinda need to send it." Arthur was a little shocked at the admission. Vivi never deleted anything. She had at least ten externals filled with pictures, videos, and audio from investigations, all carefully edited and sorted by time, date, and location. "Actually, as soon as they give me the all clear, I'm deleting the lot of them. Whatever's in that cave... whatever's in these photos..." She shivered and Arthur understood the sentiment. "Anyway! When I'm done sending this email, we should work on cleaning up. I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep after seeing those photos, so I may as well make use of the time, right?"  
  
Lewis shook his head, fond. "I'll make breakfast and then we'll see how you feel once you've got food in you," he said, grinning, though it was strained. He still, somehow, looked pale.  
  
"L-Lew?" Arthur questioned, stepping around the table and putting a hand on the bigger man's arm.  
  
"I just... I remembered what you wrote last night. I'm the only one that calls you Art. So that means, in some aborted future, I pressed you to go into that cave..." Lewis looked ill at the thought.  
  
"N-n-not you. Not _th-this_ you," Arthur said, stressing it. Lewis looked like he was about to protest, but Arthur shook his head. ["Doesn't matter now. It never happened. You and Vi are awesome and I'm lucky to have you both in my life. Dunno anyone else who would pay attention to crazy sounding nightmares."] Arthur grinned as Lewis snorted an undignified laugh. The younger man looked slightly better now, so Arthur counted it as a win. Vivi's chair scraping as she stood drew their attention. She looked unsteady, holding her head.  
  
"Vivi? You okay?" Lewis asked, reaching out to stablize her.  
  
"I... We can't... send those photos... I..." Vivi mumbled, leaning into Lewis. "It's in... the photos..." At those words, Arthur stuttered out a string of very creative cursing as he grabbed the laptop and swung it around. All the photos from the cave that Vivi had attached to the email already were deleted, then he went to the photos and deleted every last one of the shots from the cave, followed by spending the next hour making sure the lot of them were completely wiped from the hard drive as well as the camera. While he was busy furiously working, Lewis and Mystery were doing what they could to help Vivi, though there wasn't much they could do aside from keeping her from doing anything she would regret.  
  
And then it turned out that Arthur's self-appointed task was the answer. The moment he'd successfully wiped all the data out of existance, whatever it was that had that tentative grasp on Vivi lost it. Her eyes cleared and she relaxed, slumping tiredly against Lewis. "Well, that was fun," Lewis muttered. "What happened, Vi?"  
  
"As we were thinking, some part of it was in the photos. I could feel it's eyes boring into me after you stepped away." She paused, shivering. "It took advantage of me being tired and stressed over the thought that I could have dragged Artie into the cave if he hadn't had that nightmare... It was trying to take me over. Lewis... it wanted to kill you and Artie..." Her voice broke and she let out a little sob, tears already gathering in her eyes. "I- I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost either of you!"  
  
"Shh, it's okay... It's over now..." Lewis murmured, petting Vivi's hair as she sobbed into his shoulder. Arthur appeared in the doorway moments later.  
  
["Vivi okay now?"] he asked, looking upset to see Vivi crying.  
  
"Yeah. Whatever was trying to possess her failed."  
  
["Good. Chocolate?"] Lewis snorted and nodded. Arthur offered a tight grin and then rushed off. They deserved to have chocolate for breakfast after that bullshit. Vivi would be somewhat happy that Lewis was allowing this. Especially when he saw Arthur come back with the good chocolate. "Vi," the blond said, trying to get her attention. She turned her head to peek at Arthur only to sit up straight in surprise at seeing the box of fancy chocolates. When she looked back up at Lewis, questioningly, he offered a smile and a shrug.  
  
"...gimme. Please?" Vivi whispered. Arthur chuckled and handed the box over.  
  
By the time all the chocolate was gone (along with half a bag of home-made deer jerky for Mystery), the atmosphere of the room had lightened. Arthur was signing stupid jokes that made Vivi giggle tiredly and even Lewis, for all that he was going to have a stomach ache from eating such rich food so early in the morning, was feeling relaxed.  
  
They managed to get Vivi to go to bed, Mystery going with her to make sure she would be okay, and then Lewis turned to Arthur. "So... how'd you figure she was okay?"  
  
["It was in the photos, right?"] Lewis nodded. ["I scrubbed the drive and the camera's memory of the images. Got rid of every last fragment of data."]  
  
"Shit, really? It took doing that much to free Vivi?" Lewis sagged against the back of the couch. "I'm so glad you're a genius with anything tech," he said after a moment, shaking his head. "I don't even wanna know what would have happened if you hadn't had the skills needed to do that..."  
  
["I would have risked Vivi's ire and just formatted the whole lot. It might have taken too long, though. How was she holding up?"]  
  
"She's a fighter. I was holding her in place and she only struggled to get free a couple time," Lewis responded, sighing. "I'm just glad the thing in the photos couldn't have been too strong."  
  
["Vivi might be a little cranky with me when she wakes up. I finished the email and sent it. If what was in the cave was powerful enough to send part of itself in photos..."] Arthur let his hands sink to his lap without finishing what he was signing, making a face.  
  
"Oh, yeah, no, I get you. If you hadn't, I would have. That cave needs to be sealed off as soon as possible," Lewis said. Arthur smiled in response, sitting down next to Lewis and leaning into him. Lewis, in turn, slung his arm around Arthur's shoulders in a one armed hug, pulling him in tight enough for the blond to feel secure. Arthur hummed happily in response, closing his eyes. For now, everything was okay.  
  
"C-can we go lay d-d-down with Vi?"  
  
"Yeah. Let's go. I think she'd appreciate having us close after that, too," Lewis said, releasing Arthur who grinned sheepishly.  
  
["It's more I want you two close after all that,"] he admitted, laughing.  
  
"...yeah, well... my agreement wasn't nearly so altruistic as wanting to be there in case she wants us there," Lewis replied, chuckling and then offering his hand to Arthur. The blond snorted and took it, letting Lewis lead the way to Vivi's room.  
  
Soon enough, Vivi's bed was a crowded cuddlepile, Lewis in the middle with Vivi and Arthur resting half on him and Mystery draping himself over their feet with a huff. Vivi and Arthur's hands were laced together over Lewis' chest. All of them had soft smiles on their faces as they settled in for a good rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically, this Arthur is getting glimpses into another Arthur's (in this case, canon) world through his dreams, and it's helped them avoid _so much bad shit_ it's not even funny. He doesn't really remember his dreams and all he has are the fragments he manages to write down when he wakes up. He's got a notepad next to his bed at home and everything. Vivi's amassing an 'Arthur's freaky dreams' collection and a lot of the stuff that he writes down turn out to have basis in reality. Like one time, they were going to investigate a creepy forest where people had been seeing 'ghost orbs' and there'd been some really strange deaths. Looked like the victims had been mauled, but no one could tell by what. Turns out it was a demon-worshipping cult and Arthur's writings hinted at not only that, but that dream!Arthur had been caught by them.
> 
> So, Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery are all of the opinion that if Arthur's having strange dreams, they are to pay attention and be super careful if they still go to the place they were planning on. Also, he tends to have these dreams anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours before the bad thing is gonna happen.


	31. Seasons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: N/A  
> Tags: ~Nebulous time setting. ~Introspective. ~Character study.
> 
> Sorry the second to last chapter is so short.

Almost everyone Vivi knew thought her favourite season was summer. This couldn't be further from the truth. She absolutely loved winter when the weather cooled and there was snow on the ground. Her favourite thing in the world was to curl up in her favourite over-sized chair or the window seat Arthur and Lewis had constructed for her with a book and a big mug of hot chocolate when there was snow on the ground outside. The view of the pristine snow in the backyard always left her feeling cozy and relaxed for some inexplicable reason.  


\----

Arthur loved autumn. He loved watching the trees slowly turn a riot of warm colours. He loved the cooling weather and the smell of rainstorms in the air. Thunder and lightning raking through the heavens left him with a giddy, excited feeling that, for a time, made him forget to feel anxious.  


\----

Lewis's favourite time of year, to no one's surprise, was spring. The man looked big and tough and like he could punch someone's head clean off their shoulders, but in reality, he was just a huge teddy bear with a fondness for all things romance. To him, spring embodied life itself. Growing things and love.  


\----

Mystery had lived so very long, but his favourite season would always be summer. He could remember, even now, lounging lazily in his forest as the cicadas sang around him, sunlight dappled on his fur. It had been a long time since he'd been there, but Mystery couldn't help but be fond of the memories. To him, summer was warm, lazy days, able to relax with his adopted kits. Vivi would have her head on his side, using him as a pillow. Lewis would be sitting next to Vivi with his nose buried in a romance novel that Vivi or Arthur had given him as a gift. Finally, Arthur would be laying curled around Lewis with his eyes closed, one hand reaching up and lazily scratching behind the disguised kitsune's ears in that perfect way he tended to, even without looking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is almost done. One more day and that's it for this.


	32. Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships: Lewis/Vivi, Lewis & Arthur, Lewis/Arthur, hints at Lewvithur  
> Tags: ~Alternate timeline for The Future. ~Medium Arthur. ~Mostly Non-verbal Arthur. ~Threats of violence turned to discussion.

The ghost was furious. Beyond furious. Arthur couldn't recall seeing or feeling such rage from any ghost they'd ever encountered in the past. And to make it worse, the ghost's fury was all directed at him and he didn't know what to do about it. Last time, he'd grabbed Vivi and fled, leaving the mansion the ghost had created behind. However, the ghost had chased them. Normally leaving an angry spectre behind was enough, but not this time.  
  
No, this time, his luck had dumped itself off a cliff, and Arthur? Arthur was about to follow. The ghost had him by the throat, dangling him over a ~~familiar~~ pit of stone spikes. A flash of _something_ hit his brain. Fear, horror, _pure agony_ in an arm that didn't exist anymore. His metal prosthetic gave an anaemic twitch, sparking and making his shoulder burn. At the movement, the wraith's eyes seemed to twitch over to it and it froze, looking confused before stepping back from the cliff edge. Arthur's feet touched the ground, but the angry ghost didn't let him go. "Your arm." A chill raced down Arthur's spine. He knew that voice. It sounded other-worldly now, but there was no mistaking the voice of one of his dearest friends.  
  
"...Lewis...?" He was shocked. This couldn't be Lewis, could it? But how? How was he dead? Arthur wanted to start signing a mile a minute and he even tried to, but his prosthetic still wasn't responding, so he only had half the signs. The ghost let him go, raising a brow bone in a familiar expression on an unfamiliar face.  
  
"Even if you were signing with both hands, I can't understand you when you sign that fast," the ghost, Lewis said, exasperated. "You're gonna have to use your words." Arthur froze again before swallowing harshly. Lewis was right. Arthur hated speaking and Lewis had never forced him to before, but... Arthur only had one hand currently and it would take too long to sign individual letters. He had no choice.  
  
"Y-y-you... you're- h-how-? I l-l-l-looked for-for you! H-how- wh-why ar-are you-?" Arthur's voice was rusty and he couldn't get his thoughts together enough to ask a complete question. Lewis seemed to sigh.  
  
"Answer me first, Arthur. Your arm?"  
  
"I do-don't kn-kn-know. There- there w-was a c-c-c-c-cave and w-we w-were toge-together... and then-then I woke u-up i-in the hosp-hospital with n-no arm and-and y-you w-were m-m-m-m-m-missing and Vi couldn't-couldn't reme-remember y-you..." Arthur trailed off, tears in his eyes as he looked up at Lewis. "I l-looked fo-for you! A-as s-soon as m-my a-arm was d-done, I-!"  
  
Lewis backed up a step, then sat down, giant hands on his head. "You're not lying. Dammit! I can't even get an answer then!"  
  
"A-answer?"  
  
"I can ask you all I like, but you aren't going to be able to tell me." Lewis sighed, looking up at Arthur who fished out his phone, typed something then turned the device for Lewis to see.  
  
[What did you want to ask me?]  
  
"Why did you kill me?" Arthur's eyes widened. He'd killed Lewis? But how? Why? When?!  
  
...the cave. He had no memory of what happened in the cave. Arthur sat down heavily, his phone falling to his lap as he gripped his metal arm in a panicked attempt to ground himself. Lewis was silent as he waited for Arthur to get a handle on his emotions. It was easier as Lewis' previous anger had dissipated (and with it, the cave, apparently), leaving the air heavy with confusion and a sense of patience. Lewis was waiting for him to get it together.  
  
The blond took deep, slow breaths until he felt calm enough to pick up his phone again. He didn't think he could handle speaking again that evening, his arm was dead and even if it wasn't, he wasn't sure he could keep his signing slow enough for Lewis, who'd been missing for almost three years by that point, to understand him. So, phone it was. This time, he turned on the text-to-speech app instead of the word document app.  
  
["What happened in the cave? I can't remember. Doc said it was trauma and that I had likely repressed the memories to protect myself. But I need to know."]  
  
Lewis looked unsure now, but he shook himself off, expression firming. "You pushed me off that cliff. Looked pretty happy with yourself over it, too." Arthur wondered if he looked as stricken as he felt. That didn't make any sense! It was inconceivable that he'd have pushed Lewis! What had _happened_ back there?  
  
Well, there was one way he could find out... He needed his memories back and he could think of only one way to get his brain to spit up the information. He needed another perspective... but would Lewis let him? ["You are not going to like this, but... I have an idea of how to jar my memory..."]  
  
"Oh? Why would I not like that?" Lewis asked.  
  
["Because I need to touch your anchor to do it. Need another perspective."] Arthur cringed at admitting it as Lewis glared.  
  
"And how do I know you aren't going to try to destroy me if I let you touch it?" Lewis demanded, anger in his words and lacing the air.  
  
["One finger. You can hold the rest of my hand closed. Can't hurt you if it's only one finger, right?"]  
  
"Hm. I suppose..." Lewis seemed to calm down again, relaxing. "Fine. And then you'll answer my questions." Arthur nodded, setting his phone down and reaching out. As promised, only one finger was extended, the others curled into a loose fist, which Lewis wrapped his hand around before letting Arthur touch his anchor.

\----

_**"Hey, Art! Come take a look at this!" Lewis grinned, looking back over his shoulder. The view in here was amazing!**  
  
(Something was in his head. *Push him. Push him. Push him.* 'NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!' His feet moved on their own, left hand lifting as lips curled into a sinister smile on his left side. His arm was green.)  
  
**Arthur lunged, laughing as his hand came into contact with Lewis' chest. The momentum shoved Lewis backwards and he tried to brace himself with one foot, but he'd been too close to the edge. Arthur's sinisterly grinning face was the last thing he saw as he fell. The last thing he felt was white-hot agony as he hit the spikes below.**  
  
('LEWIS!!!' Arthur couldn't even scream. Maniacal laughter almost drowned out the agony of watching one of the people he loved most in the world fall and die with such a betrayed look on his face. Tears streamed down the right half of his face and he wanted to throw himself off after Lewis, but the _thing_ in his head wasn't releasing him. It wasn't done yet. It forced him to whistle a merry tune as it stared down in glee at the ruined body below. Arthur could hear Vivi scream and the _thing_ cackled to itself as it went over ideas on how best to make the girl below them suffer. Pushing a guy to his doom was fun, but it was too quick a death for a girl. Hearing her scream and beg as it tore her apart would be way more fun.  
  
Before it could even turn him away from the cliff, though, sharp teeth dug into his arm. <"I'm so sorry for this, Arthur,> a voice said, and then... agony. His arm was gone, violently torn from him. That was okay. Arthur didn't want a limb that could betray the man he loved, anyway. Vision hazing, Arthur stared up at the creature that had torn off his traitorous arm. Huh. That looked kinda like Mystery... if Mystery was a giant fox, anyway. It even had the glasses.)_

\----

Arthur gasped, recoiling violently as he came up from the dual memories. He wanted to scream, but all he could do was gasp for air he wasn't getting enough of.  
  
"Art, you need to breathe! You're gonna pass out!" Lewis' voice sounded muddy and faint, but then one hand was on his bad shoulder, the other forcing his good hand to Lewis' chest. "Breathe with me, Art. That's it. In and out slowly..." With Lewis coaching him, Arthur was able to steady his breathing and calm down. He still felt like he was one step away from a major panic attack, but it was better. His hand was only a little shaky as he reached for his phone. "I saw what happened," Lewis said just as Arthur was about to start typing. The mechanic froze, looking back up. "Your side of things. You were possessed. I-" Lewis' skeletal face was replaced with a facade of his living one and it looked pained. "I almost killed you. I was so angry and hurt and I almost-" He cut himself off, something else seeming to occur to him. "...you loved me?"  
  
Arthur could have laughed if he wasn't still trying to process everything. ["Past tense is the wrong tense."] The synthetic voice of his app made him cringe a bit, but he kept typing and letting it fill the space between them with the words he couldn't say. ["I love you and I love Vivi and it about killed me having to wait even a day to go looking for you. I could not understand why you weren't there. You were missing and my arm was gone and Vivi-. Vivi was there, but she was so BROKEN and I could not do anything for her. She didn't remember you and I could not even say or sign your name without her breaking again. So all I could do was focus on recovering and building this-"] He motioned to his prosthetic. ["-so that I could go looking for you. I had hoped that maybe whatever had stolen Vi's memories of you had stolen your memories of us and that you were alive somewhere and that I could find you."] He hunched in on himself, wanting to curl up and vanish. ["It never even occurred to me that you could be..."] He couldn't even type the word dead. It hurt too much.  
  
Lewis looked floored at the spill of information, tears slowly falling from his eyes as he listened. "Arthur... I'm so sorry..." the ghost whispered. Arthur shook his head.  
  
["Don't be. From your perspective, I did something horrible to you. You couldn't have known my own thoughts because I never said a damn thing. I should have told you and Vivi how I felt but I was so damn scared of being rejected that I pulled back instead."] Arthur paused, a thoughtful look on his face. ["...I wonder if that was the opening that thing took to get into my head..."]  
  
"Well, not much sense speculating on it," Lewis replied, standing up and offering Arthur a hand. "Come on. Maybe we can do something about Vivi's memory issues and then you can fix your arm and we can have a good, long talk about everything. Did you ever tell Vi about how you feel for her?"  
  
Arthur pocketed his phone for a moment, accepted the hand up, then pulled out his phone again before typing out, ["No. I did not feel right confessing when I was still looking for you."] He then paused and offered Lewis a wide-eyed look. ["Wait. You don't mind that I-"]  
  
"That you love me and Vivi?" Lewis laughed softly. "No. Why would I? I love you, too, Art. Vi and I had been talking about approaching you about inviting you into our relationship. I was-..." Lewis paused, cringing slightly. "I was supposed to broach the topic back then, in the cave, but I got nervous. The last thing I'd wanted was to ruin things with you, but Vivi had been convinced that everything would turn out fine."  
  
This time, Arthur actually did laugh. ["God, this is all so fucked up."]  
  
"You said it," Lewis said with his own incredulous chuckle. "I can't believe you aren't mad that I tried to kill you."  
  
"Eh," Arthur said aloud, then continued via text-to-speech. ["How can I be mad? You thought I had murdered you, and after seeing your perspective, I would have thought the exact same if I had been in your shoes. But you did not kill me. You stopped and decided to talk things out and now we both know the truth."]  
  
"...I don't deserve you," Lewis replied with another incredulous laugh.  
  
["Yeah, well, the feeling is mutual. And I am pretty sure this one is, too. 'Too bad. You're stuck with me.'"] Arthur grinned wryly up at Lewis who grinned back. Then they both headed for the exit to the truck... only to find themselves staring in surprise as Uncle Lance hopped up, shotgun in hand.  
  
"Arthur, are you-" Uncle Lance cut himself off, taking in the scene in front of him. Arthur and an inhuman thing that looked like Lewis, frozen and staring at him with wide eyes. Arthur was the first one to crack, first snorting, then hunching in on himself as he started laughing hard. The thing that looked like Lewis wasn't far behind him, falling back on his ass as he howled with laughter. "What in the world is going on in here?" Uncle Lance asked, shaking his head. It felt like heavy tension evaporating like mist in the morning sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's power as a medium allows him to share memories with a ghost if he can touch their anchor. In the case with Lewis, he needed Lewis' memories to unlock his own which were tamped down by the major trauma of that night.
> 
> Annnnnd, done! This has been such a fun ride! Thank you all for joining me on this trip through the month. <3
> 
> I have to say, though, I'm certainly not finished with MSA. I still have the fic that got me started on this ride into the MSA fandom, which got shoved to the back burner in favour of this mess of an anthology. The next two months or so are going to be dedicated to bigger AUs and the first posted will be my playing around with swiftishere's Rotation AU (no, I didn't forget. That's probably about half-way written and it went a bit off the rails, but I'm still happy with what I've written, so there's that) and then I have continuations to AUs that cropped up here, plus a few that I've got some rather extensive notes for that I'm not going to talk about here, but I'm hoping they'll be as fun as I imagined.
> 
> Well, I believe this final note is getting long enough. See you all in the new year, and I hope whatever celebrations you hold are safe, but fun!
> 
> ~Ren (MageOfLight)


End file.
